The Cohabitation Experiment
by NerdForestGirl
Summary: Amy and Sheldon spend date night at the apartment. Amy suddenly becomes ill and Sheldon takes care of her.
1. Chapter 1

Amy got off the bus to walk the rest of the way to Sheldon's apartment. Her car's 'check engine' light had turned on earlier in the day, and unlike a certain bestie of her's, she had taken it to get it looked at immediately. It was too bad that it had fallen on date night because now she was going to have to spend the whole night at Sheldon's or deal with his bus pants.

There was a toy shop on Amy's left as she walked down Los Robles, and she glanced in the window. Inside, there was something there that she couldn't help but smile at; a teddy bear in a blue Star Trek uniform with pointy little bear ears. The Spock-bear was so endearing that Amy had to stop in and buy it. She didn't like Star Trek herself, but Sheldon was so exceedingly fond of the character that Amy knew that she would never be able to see the bear without thinking of him.

After spending far too much for a bear, Amy made her way to the guys' apartment. When she knocked on the door, Sheldon promptly appeared. He smiled slightly upon seeing her in that way that never failed to take her breath away.

"Oh, I have one of those," Sheldon said upon seeing the bear in her hands. "Spock's great, isn't he?" He finished as he stepped aside to allow Amy access to the apartment. She was a little glad that he said that. She loved him (not that she would ever admit it to him), and she would have handed it over in a second if she thought he wanted it. Now, she could have her little piece of Sheldon to cuddle with, given the fact that getting him to do it was like pulling teeth. Amy was also a little relieved that Sheldon didn't think it was weird for her to show up clutching a teddy bear.

Leonard was sitting in his workspace. The other guys and Penny weren't there, but Amy assumed that they would show up eventually. Thursday was pizza night after all. This was likely to be the closest Amy and Sheldon were likely to get to alone time for the night. Sheldon offered her a drink, so she followed him over to the kitchen while he made her some tea.

They sat together in silence for longer than most people would be comfortable, but they liked it. She kept stealing glances at his impossibly blue eyes. Amy knew that they didn't have the kind of relationship that others had, and while she longed to reach out and touch his beautiful hands, she wouldn't be willing to trade what they had for the world.

All of this was so new for Amy that the urges sometimes struck her in an almost physical way. She had never wanted to touch anyone the way she wanted to touch Sheldon. It wasn't even sexual most of the time. It was just a sense that when they were together they were more whole. At least that's how it was for her. Amy knew Sheldon didn't go in for all of that, so she worked really hard to avoid touching him whenever possible.

"How is work going?" Amy eventually asked Sheldon.

"It is going well. I've been making some strides in my six-loop gravity calculations work. Also, I've been drawing a really cool train. How is your work going?"

"I've become a little too attached to one of the monkeys, and I have to cut open his brain tomorrow. Other than that everything has been going really well."

"Ah. I've always maintained that you are a little too sentimental, Amy."

"Yes. I believe you are correct," Amy agreed, thinking again of how much she would like to grab his hand.

Their conversation was cut short by the entrance of Howard, Bernadette, and Raj with the pizza. Leonard slipped out to let Penny know the pizza had arrived. Amy and Sheldon sat together on the couch. Her knee bumped into his, but he didn't pull back in a flinch the way he would have months ago. They did separate, but it was only after a few seconds of precious contact. Amy did her best to relish the short contact. Sheldon passed her a slice of pizza on a plate and she watched the conversation. Amy still wasn't used to the group dynamic even after the two and a half years of being around the guys. It was easier for her to just watch them interact. Although, she had to admit that she frequently laughed at the jokes about Howard's education or lack thereof.

After a couple of hours the party started to break up. First, Howard and Bernadette left to go see Howard's mother for a while. Then, Raj went to spend some time with Stuart at the comic book store. Even Leonard and Penny went over to her apartment, leaving Sheldon and Amy alone on the couch.

Amy knew that she should be heading back home. It was after dark and she already felt nervous about taking the bus home. It wouldn't be helped by leaving even later, but she didn't want to leave Sheldon's side just yet. It was the first time they had been alone all evening.

The lone couple left in 4A talked about work and about their friends and about Star Trek. Amy was enjoying it so much that she ignored the growing pain over her right eye. Migraines weren't a common part of her life, but she had had enough of them that she should have recognized the pattern. Unfortunately, Amy didn't pay enough attention to it until it was so bad that she had a hand clutched over her eye.

"Amy, is everything okay?" Sheldon asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"I just... headache... maybe I should get heading home," Amy replied. She felt stupid to let this headache to get so bad. She was a neurobiologist, dammit. Now she was going to have to try to navigate public transportation while barely being able to see.

Amy stood up, but the room started to spin a little bit. She fumbled her first step and nearly fell, but was caught by a pair of large hands. The pain actually lifted slightly at the thought of Sheldon's hands on her arm and waist. He sat her down back on the couch.

"Nonsense. I'm not letting you drive home like this," Sheldon said to her.

"The bus actually," Amy corrected him.

He just sighed and went into the bathroom and returned with a bottle of over the counter migraine medication and a glass of water from the kitchen. He handed her the bottle and told her to take two of the pills.

"You can sleep here tonight."

"Thanks, Sheldon."

He walked toward the back of the apartment where the bedrooms are and then stopped and looked back at her.

"Well, come on."

Amy assumed that Sheldon was going to get her a pillow and a blanket so that she could sleep on the couch. She was shocked into silence as she followed him back to his bedroom. She had seen his room before, but she had never spent much time there. She wished that the pain wasn't nearly blinding her so that she could get a better look at his space.

He pulled out some of his own pajamas and handed them to her. "These are my emergency pajamas, but you may wear them if you'd prefer." Then he just walked out to let her change.

Amy carefully folded up her own clothes even though she still felt unsteady on her feet. Sheldon wouldn't appreciate a pile of clothes lying on the floor. When she was changed, Amy just sat down on Sheldon's bed. Even this felt like an invasion of his privacy. She couldn't bring herself to climb under his covers and go to sleep even if it was what she wanted more than just about everything.

Knock Knock Knock "Amy." Knock Knock Knock "Amy." Knock Knock Knock "Amy."

"Come in," Amy said weakly.

Sheldon came in holding the Spock-bear that Amy arrived with. "I thought you might want this." He handed it over, and she clutched it to her chest.

"Why aren't you lying down?" Sheldon asked. He was so much more tender with her when she was sick.

She stood up and pulled back the covers and climbed into the bed. It smelled like him.

Sheldon turned to leave, but she turned toward him. "Hey, Sheldon, where are you going to sleep?"

"Leonard's room, of course," he said before he turned off the light and left the room.

Amy tried to stay as close to the edge of the bed as she could. It felt like she could stop herself from invading his space by occupying as little of it as possible. The bear was soft in her arms. It had been years and years since she had slept with a stuffed animal, but it felt right. She was glad that she had bought it on a whim. The pain and the medication pulled her into a deep sleep.

Sheldon did work alone in the living room until his bed time. He didn't particularly want to sleep in Leonard's room, but Amy was in so much pain that he couldn't let her try to take the bus home. He could see it on the way her face contorted before she tried to leave. The clock struck nine, so he shut down his computer and went into Leonard's room. It was messier than the shared spaces, and Sheldon fought the urge to dust the whole place before he went to sleep. Somehow he managed to fall asleep despite the dust that was probably clogging up his lungs.

That was until someone came into the room and sat down on the bed. Sheldon sat up with a small scream and Leonard jumped up and also screamed.

"Sheldon, what the hell are you doing in my bed?" Leonard yelled at Sheldon.

"Shh. Keep your voice down. Amy is sleeping in my bed."

"Well, why aren't you sleeping in there with her? Isn't that the whole point of having your girlfriend sleep over?"

"Leonard, don't be ridiculous. She was ill, so I let her sleep there. I assumed that you would be sleeping over a Penny's, so I would sleep here."

"Well, I'm not. We got in a disagreement."

"You didn't ask her to marry you mid-coitus again did you?"

"No. You know what? It's too late for this. Just get out."

"Where am I going to sleep?"

"I don't know, Sheldon. The couch?"

Sheldon sighed and left Leonard's room. He thought about waking Amy up and moving her to the couch, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he decided to just sneak into his bedroom and grab his extra pillow and spend the night on the couch.

When he was in his room, he could see her there still fast asleep. Amy was curled into a small ball on the side of the bed. Normally, he thought that his bed could only fit one person, but she was so small. Especially curled up like that. He wondered if that was how she slept at home. Now that he was back in his room watching her sleep there was a part of him that didn't want to leave again. There was so much space on the bed that he could probably just lay down there. He might have to be closer to the edge than he was used to in order to not touch her, but he was confident that they would both fit. Sheldon also thought to the times when she invited him to sleep in her bed with her when he had his misadventure with the bongo drums and thought that she probably wouldn't mind if he just slept there with her.

On a whim that he probably would not have indulged if he had been well rested, Sheldon climbed into his own bed next to Amy Farrah Fowler. He was very careful not to disturb her. It was a little awkward being over so far, but Sheldon was tired enough to drift off to sleep soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for reviewing. This is the first fanfic I have ever written, and you guys made it such a pleasurable experience I'll have to do more. I hope you guys like this second part.**

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Amy awoke from her deep sleep. It was still dark in the room, and she was a little confused about where she was. That was perhaps why she didn't notice, at first, the large hand that was resting comfortably on her waist. When she did, her reaction time was slow enough to let her brain catch up with her before she screamed. It was a hand that she knew almost better than her own.

_Sheldon?_ She thought. That was when she noticed all of the little points of contact between her body and his. Not only was one hand on her waist, but there was another one touching her back. His chin was touching the top of her head, she could feel him breathing lightly against the top of her head. His legs were also curled against her own.

At some point during the night Sheldon must have crawled into this bed. That didn't confuse Amy the same way as the fact that he was holding her. It was the closest they had ever been, and she'd slept through most of it. Had he been drinking? Amy had no idea. It had just become the most important thing in the world not to wake him up.

She could feel an almost burning at every contact point between the two. She had to use the bathroom, but she knew that if Sheldon woke up he would not touch her like this again. Amy just used that time to enjoy ever part of what was happening. Every trace of the headache was gone. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark, so she could see all of the little toys on his shelves. She could feel the softness of his loaned pajamas against her skin. She could smell him in every breath.

Amy wanted this to go on forever, but she couldn't help but noticing that the clock was ticking closer to morning. "It was the nightingale, and not the lark," Amy muttered to herself.

"We're hardly Romeo and Juliet," Sheldon said.

Amy startled slightly at the statement. "You're awake?"

"Yes. I have been for nearly twenty minutes now."

"Why didn't you move away as soon as you woke up?" Amy asked, still not turning toward her boyfriend.

"There was some part of me that moved me toward you while I slept. I didn't find it particularly objectionable once I was here and based on the fact that you did not move even after you awoke I assumed that you did not mind either, but I can move."

Sheldon started to pull his hand away and without thinking Amy grabbed in and pulled him even more fully across her waist. "No. I mean, stay if you want to."

"I'm afraid it isn't up to me. We'll have to get up and go to work eventually."

"Does this mean that you feel comfortable touching me now?" Amy asked bluntly. The thought wouldn't leave her mind as little as she wanted to know the answer.

"I've been working on it. I know that you don't think that I want to touch you more, but I've been working up to it. I feel like this is progress," Sheldon said squeezing her slightly. "I've always had trouble with physical contact with others. The only people I can hug or touch without flinching are my mother, my Mee Maw and Missy. While, I love you, I would like to have a different kind of relationship with you than I do with them."

This made Amy finally turn and look at Sheldon. There were tears in her eyes and Sheldon was immediately afraid that he had said or done something wrong.

"You love me?" Amy asked with a shaking voice.

"Of course I love you. I let you sleep in my bed, I've made you my emergency contact, I've taken care of you while you were sick, and you are the person who I go to first for everything now."

"You've never said it before," Amy replied.

"I thought that we were above all of that. I assumed that with your superior intellect that you would have inferred how I feel about you."

"I guess... I guess I did, but it's still nice to hear you say it. I love you, Sheldon."

The lightness that Sheldon felt in his chest led him to agree with her. "Fascinating." He pressed his lips to her forehead and then turned to get out of the bed.

Sheldon went to the kitchen and found Leonard and Penny kissing.

"I see that you two made up. Now move so that I can have my breakfast."

"Where is Amy? Did you send her home in the middle of the night just so that you could sleep in your own bed?" Leonard asked.

"Of course not, Leonard. We shared my bed. We are both adults in a relationship. I hardly think that makes us the first couple to sleep in the same bed together." Sheldon said as Amy emerged from the back of the apartment.

"Wait. Back up. Amy slept over? In Sheldon's bed? While he was in it?" Penny asked, amazed.

"Yes. She was too ill to go home, so I offered to let her to stay here. Grow up, Penny." Sheldon replied. He was clearly tired of their questions. He quietly poured himself and Amy each a bowl of cereal and they went to the couch to eat. Their knees bumped again, but they left them there. While Sheldon was unlikely to change overnight and suddenly start hugging and cuddling Amy constantly, he liked the warmth he felt in the places where they came into contact.

Amy got up to get dressed to go home and get ready for work. When she returned to the open space, Sheldon was still sitting in his spot. She was going to just walk by the couch and say a quiet goodbye to Sheldon. Penny and Leonard were sitting in the kitchen and Amy didn't really want to make a big deal about anything in front of them.

Right when Amy got to where Sheldon was he grabbed her hand. Then he stood up and pulled her into a hug. For once, she was the one who was shocked. It took her a second to return the hug. He kissed her forehead and whispered, "I love you, Amy Farrah Fowler."

"I love you too, Sheldon Cooper."

Then before she could start crying, Amy walked out the door of apartment 4A and down to her bus stop. It felt like the walls between her and Sheldon were crumbling in the scariest and most thrilling ways. She wouldn't have it any other way.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: First, thank you all for the reviews, follows, and favs. You each get a big smile from me every time I get an email letting me know. Second, this story was originally only the first two parts, but you are all so nice and asked for more that I wrote more. I really hope you continue to enjoy my story. LLTS.**

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Sheldon sat back down on the couch after Amy left. He just stared at the bowl in his hands and poked at the cereal left with his spoon. He wouldn't look up at the TV or Leonard and Penny. They had witnessed Amy's emotional goodbye and were both considerably confused by it. As strange as the idea that Sheldon slept in a bed with Amy was, it was at least a concept they could get their heads around. Now they just stared at the man on the couch and wondered if their friend had been replaced by a doppelganger.

"Should we talk to him?" Penny asked quietly.

"Maybe give him a minute? You know how his privacy is important to him," Leonard responded.

They watched him for another fifteen minutes. Leonard was starting to worry because it was getting closer to when they needed to leave for work.

"Hey, Sheldon? Are you okay, buddy? We need to leave for work in about fifteen minutes."

Sheldon just looked up, nodded, and went to the back of the apartment without a word.

"Have you ever seen him like that before?" Penny asked Leonard.

"No. I'm tempted to call his mother, but I think I'll give it a couple of days." Leonard said.

Penny had to leave to go to work herself, so she let herself out of the apartment. She was tempted to call Amy and try to find out what happened the night before, but thought better of it. She was Amy's best friend, Penny decided to let Amy come to her instead.

Leonard finished getting ready to go to work, and Sheldon managed to be ready to go on time. He didn't seem to want to play any of the normal games they played on the way to work.

"I'll start. Oxygen," Leonard said, trying to coax Sheldon into playing with him.

"Leonard?"

"Yeah?"

"What if she leaves me for telling her that I love her? Like Penny did with you. I didn't mean to tell her that I loved her. It just came out."

Leonard was quiet for a long time. He sometimes forgot that Sheldon wasn't always as confident as he seemed. Leonard was also a little surprised that Sheldon seemed to be taking such a cue from his own relationships. He guessed that when someone spent most of his teenage years with people ten to fifteen years older than him, it takes a toll on learning social cues.

"I wouldn't worry about that. Anyone who saw you with Amy this morning could see that she loves you. She said it back without any hesitation. You shouldn't take what Penny and I do as gospel for relationships. She only recently told me that she loves me and we've been together on and off for a couple of years now. Do you... do you really love her?"

Sheldon thought about it. He was relatively certain that he loved her, but it felt different than all of the kinds of love that he had experienced in his life. People tended to believe that Sheldon was some sort of robot, but in reality, he worked really hard to keep that facade up. He loved his mother and his Mee Maw and even his brother and sister. He loved Leonard, Penny, Raj, and Howard. It was just easier to put up walls and not let them know (other than the time that he drunkenly told Leonard that he loved him). People could use love to hurt. With Amy it felt different. Part of him wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but the other part knew that she could use it to crush him. "Yes. Well, I think I do. I've never experienced this before," he finally told Leonard. It seemed enough like the truth.

"Well, that's all you need."

"You're such a hippie, Leonard."

The pair arrived at work and Sheldon said, "Nitrogen," before quickly getting out of the car and effectively winning the game by not giving Leonard a chance to name another element.

"Cheater," Leonard muttered to himself as he went into work.

Amy made good time getting home, showered, and back to work. Considering the completely unexpected sleep-over with Sheldon, Amy was surprised that she wasn't late to the lab. Not to mention the lack of automobile. There was a text on her phone promising that the car would be ready by lunchtime at least.

There was exactly nothing from Sheldon. Amy was starting to panic a little bit. It wasn't like they were in constant communication, but the circumstances of their relationship had changed. Hadn't they? _Get a grip, Fowler_, she thought. This is Sheldon. He isn't likely to change that much because of some cuddling and a few declarations of love.

Still, she spent an inordinate amount of time staring at her phone. She was glad that she was largely left alone in the lab or someone probably would have called her out on her strange behavior. By the time lunch rolled around, Sheldon still hadn't texted. That was a little unusual, and Amy didn't know if she should try texting him first.

She pulled out her phone, but sent a message to Penny instead: "I haven't heard anything from Sheldon since I left. Is he okay?"

Then she waited. Amy was pretty sure that she wasn't going to get anything done for the rest of the day. It was decidedly unlike her to be so unable to focus on her work. It was what she loved more than just about anything, except Sheldon, she guessed.

"He was pretty quiet this morning, but he went to work," Penny texted back.

Amy decided to just take the rest of the day off. It was the first time in a long time that she was glad that it was Friday. Even with the boost to her social life of Sheldon, Penny, and Bernadette, weekends had always been a particularly lonely time for Amy. They usually meant single serve dinners and getting caught up on neuroscience journals.

After picking up her car, Amy went over to the Cheesecake Factory. She was pleased to see that Penny was working at the bar rather than waitressing. It made it easier to talk to her friend.

"Hey, Ames. Is everything okay?" Penny asked.

"Hey, Penny. I still haven't heard from Sheldon." Amy pulled out her phone and stared at it for a moment; almost willing it chime with a new text message. "Should I write him? Ugh. I hate this. I never used to have to think about whether or not I should text him or call him or Skype him."

Penny thought about it for a little while. "Sweetie, if he were any other guy on the planet, I would suggest waiting for him to contact you first, but this is Sheldon we're talking about. We didn't mean to eavesdrop, but Leonard and I heard what you and he said to each other this morning. You know he doesn't like change, so maybe you should pretend that nothing did. I mean, nothing really did. You both loved each other before this morning, but now you've said it. That's the only difference."

Amy nodded at her friend's advice. Sheldon didn't like change, so she thought that a nice normal text message might make him feel better. She picked up her phone and sent him a text.

Across town in one of the many offices on the CalTech campus the phone of one handsome and lanky physicist chimed, alerting him of a new text message. He had been standing so still and so straight while staring at his blank white board that his muscles hurt slightly as he bent to retrieve the phone. His hands shook a little as he opened the text. Once he did, he laughed. It was the loudest and quite possibly the longest he had ever laughed. People down the hall heard the normally quiet man laughing through his closed door.

It would be years before he would admit both the content of the message and that this legendary outburst even happened. Mostly because the laughter came from the relief that he felt rather than the joke itself. Even he had to admit that the joke was pretty terrible.

"Gravity is a real downer."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Again, thanks for the reviews. You guys are awesome. Also, I want to thank L for once again reading this story. LLTS.**

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That single text opened up communication between Sheldon and Amy again. It was a relief for Sheldon because he could finally work again. It was like the dam broke free in his mind. Where all he could do was stare at the blank white board in the morning, now everything was clicking. The equations all balanced and made sense. The particles all fit together the way they should. Something had made the robot man work again and he knew that it was Amy. She loved him, and while he was still scared of that, he also needed it.

Amy might have been able to work too, but she didn't find out because she stayed at the Cheesecake Factory until Penny got off work. Penny invited her over to hang out for a while, and Amy didn't want to be alone. Being alone meant thinking about the last 24 hours, and that was exhilarating and frightening and just something that could be put off for a little while. Amy eagerly followed Penny back to her apartment. She even accepted the glass of wine that Penny offered her.

When the workday was over, Leonard was happy to find that Sheldon was back to normal. Well, as normal as Sheldon ever was. He had been worried when Sheldon didn't show up for lunch and even more worried by the rumors of some sort of outburst. Instead, Sheldon just sat in the car being his usual slightly insufferable Sheldon.

"Leonard, did you know the dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle?" Sheldon asked.

"I did not. You seem to be in a better mood this afternoon," Leonard replied.

"It's prevening, and I don't know what you are talking about. You seem to be the hippie you ever were."

"Is Amy joining us for dinner tonight?" Leonard asked, still trying to find out the change in Sheldon's demeanor.

"I don't see why not. Everyone loves Chinese food and vintage game night," Sheldon said.

_Okay._ _I can deal with normal Sheldon if it seems that whatever weirdness between him and Amy is cleared up. I honestly don't think I can deal with 25 cats again_, Leonard thought while Sheldon kept throwing completely random and useless facts at him for the rest of the drive home.

Sheldon texted Amy, "Would you like to come over for Chinese food and video games at 6:30?"

Amy quickly texted back, "Yes. I will see you soon."

He loved that she didn't use any of those shortcuts that Penny and Leonard always used when texting. At least Amy still had some pride in her grasp on the English language. There was that word again. Something he loved about her.

Promptly at 6:30, Amy and Penny knocked on the door of 4A. Sheldon answered with a big smile that he tried to hide. Amy could tell that he was having a little trouble dealing with the changes in their relationship. She instantly made up her mind to try to keep everything as close how things were before. She loved the contact, but she didn't want to push him.

Howard and Raj were already there and the food was on the coffee table. Bernadette had to work late, so she wouldn't be part of that night's festivities. While Amy grabbed herself a bottle of water from the fridge, Penny joined Leonard on the chair next to the couch. She was practically sitting on his lap. Amy couldn't help but be a little jealous as she eyed Sheldon across the table. She wasn't going to even get an accidental knee bump tonight. The view was better from here though.

Sheldon caught Amy's eye and gave her a little smile. He could tell that she wasn't paying attention to the conversation, but she wasn't likely to have an opinion about Doctor Who villains anyway.

Raj took a sip of his beer and gathered up the courage to speak in front of the women who had recently arrived. He elbowed Howard and said, "Dude, you're in Amy's spot. Get up."

"Amy has a spot now? When did this happen? Is Sheldon's crazy starting to catch?"

"I'm not crazy. My mother had me tested," Sheldon threw out.

"No. Howard, I'm fine over here. I already have my food and everything," Amy said holding up her plate as proof. To be honest, she wanted to sit next to Sheldon, but she also didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

Howard looked like he was going to take Amy at her word, but then he glanced over at Sheldon. Sheldon looked angry and insistent. Once it was brought to his attention, he demanded that Amy's spot was given the respect that his was given. Howard jumped up and moved over to stand next to the wooden chair that Amy currently occupied. It took her a moment to collect her belongings and move to the middle of the couch, next to Sheldon. She tried to give Howard a small, apologetic smile, but he didn't actually seem that bothered by it. Amy guessed that they were all very used to Sheldon's bossiness. For a moment, Amy could see why Bernadette loved Howard so much. His tolerance for his friend made him endearing.

Amy turned to Raj and said, "Thank you for being so thoughtful."

Raj smiled and said, "Sorry it took me so long to get up the courage to say something about it. I noticed as soon as you came in, but you know." He nodded toward the beer in his hand.

"Oh. The selective mutism?" Amy asked while patting her friend on the leg. It really was very sweet to make sure that she got to sit next to her boyfriend. Then she looked over at Sheldon and he looked a little scandalized. Amy realized too late his penchant for jealousy. Amy didn't have anything resembling romantic feelings for Raj, but she knew it wouldn't matter to Sheldon.

Oh, man, what have I done? Please don't let him make a scene. Please don't let him make a scene, Amy thought to herself. She turned slightly toward Sheldon and their knees touched. Despite her vow to not push Sheldon, she wanted to remind him that it was him whom she loved. Sheldon didn't flinch or pull away from the contact. He pressed his knee back at her slightly, and then they left them touching. Some people had hand-holding or kissing, but Sheldon and Amy had knee bumps. She'd rather have knee bumps with him than the most intimate interactions with someone else.

Amy was relieved that Sheldon didn't melt down on her. Once he finished his tangerine chicken and washed up, he announced that they would be playing Paperboy. Amy was a little disappointed that they were not playing Tetris because it was the only game she had really enjoyed playing as a child. She watched the first couple rounds, and planned on skipping any actual game play.

"Amy, you're up next," Sheldon said after he finished a round playing against Leonard.

"I don't know, Sheldon. I don't know how to play," Amy told him.

"It's easy. Come here and I'll show you."

Amy sat next to Sheldon in front of the TV. He handed her the controller and leaned in to show her which buttons to push. She inhaled his scent and almost forgot to listen to what he was saying. He showed her how to move and how to throw the paper, and it was suddenly her turn. She threw exactly one paper before crashing spectacularly.

"That tire came out of nowhere," Amy complained.

Sheldon smiled at her. "Watch how I do it, and then you can try again."

Amy did watch, but she wasn't sure how much she picked up. She also had a suspicion that if anyone else had done so poorly, they would have been mocked by Sheldon instead of encouraged. Sheldon skillfully and quickly made it to the end of the street, and it was Amy's turn again.

Amy dodged the tire and then crashed into an RC car a few seconds later. She laughed and waited to watch Sheldon play again. She liked seeing him focused, and she was bound and determined to do better on her next turn. Again, Sheldon was able to get to the end of the street without a problem. Amy tried to remember where the obstacles were and it paid off. On her third try, Amy was able to make it past six whole houses before crashing.

She watched Sheldon's last round and saw that she had lost by quite a large margin, but that surprised no one. Amy assumed that Sheldon would keep playing while she went back to the couch, but instead he said, "Raj, Howard, you're up." Then he joined her on the couch in his normal spot.

After a moment, Sheldon put his arm around Amy's shoulders. She was shocked by the causal contact and she could feel how tight the muscles in his arm were. This wasn't easy for him, and as she turned to tell him that he didn't have to do anything uncomfortable, she saw him looking at her with uncertainty in his eyes. Maybe it wasn't that he was uncomfortable, but rather he feared that she was. So she just snuggled into his side a little bit. His arm relaxed and she felt him brush his lips against her temple.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you all for still reading and reviewing. It means so much to me. I hope you all like this chapter.**

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Amy wished that she and Sheldon would end up alone in the apartment again, but that wasn't in the cards unless Sheldon was planning on staying up much later than he ever did. She would have been fine staying up all night like a possum. Amy checked her watch, and it was already 10. It felt harder to leave Sheldon's side. For a moment she thought about faking another headache on the chance she could sleep in his bed again. Then she thought better of it. It didn't work out so well the last time she faked sick to spend time with Sheldon (well, it worked beautifully, but he was still mad).

"Sheldon, I should probably be getting home," Amy said quietly.

He stood suddenly and said, "Wait here," before stalking back to his bedroom.

Amy looked a little confused. She looked around, but no one seemed to have any idea what that was about. There was a certain coldness from the lack of Sheldon on her left side.

Sheldon entered his bedroom and found what he was looking for right away. That morning while he was making his bed, he saw the Spock-bear where Amy had forgotten it. He put it next to his pillows and intended to return it the next time he saw her. Picking it up, Sheldon caught the light scent coming off of the bear. It smelled like her, and he pulled the bear to his face and pulled in a breath. There was her dandruff shampoo and her soap and something else that was just Amy.

Suddenly, Sheldon didn't want to return the bear anymore. He stood there staring at the bear trying to figure out what to do. He knew the bear wasn't a cheap novelty and he also didn't want to stifle whatever fondness for Star Trek that had led Amy to buy the bear. His own bear was sitting on a shelf and it caught his eye. They were the same bear made by the same company. Sheldon could see the little differences between his bear and the one he held clutched in both of his hands. Would Amy notice? Could he switch them? It was worth giving it a shot. Sheldon placed the new bear back on his bed and grabbed his bear off of the shelf and returned to the living room.

Amy was starting to wonder if she should go check on Sheldon. Whatever he was up to had taken nearly fifteen minutes. She didn't want to leave without saying goodbye. Thankfully, he finally returned holding her bear. He passed it back to her and she stood up to leave. The bear seemed different some how, but she couldn't pinpoint it. The ears were still pointy, the shirt was still blue, and it was still soft.

Penny stood to give Amy a quick hug goodnight and Amy waved to the guys. "Wait, let me get my jacket and I'll walk you to your car," Sheldon said. Amy felt her jaw drop slightly. Sheldon had never once walked her to her car if he wasn't planning on riding in it.

"Do you need a ride somewhere, Sheldon?" Amy asked.

"No. I just wanted to make sure you arrived safely at your car. It's late," he said as they walked out the door and started toward the stairs. He walked down slightly in front of her the way his mother had taught him—to catch her if she were to fall. Only a few of the manners lessons that were drilled into his head still stuck, but hot beverages for the upset and making sure Amy didn't fall down the stairs were among them. The rest seemed superfluous.

He also held the door for her and then followed her to the car. He wasn't sure exactly why he wanted to follow her to her car. Sure, what he had said was true. It was dark, and while the neighborhood was pretty safe, they had been robbed before. There was something else that he couldn't identify. Sheldon felt like her gravitational pull was far beyond her tiny frame should allow. He nearly wanted to study it. Only his knowledge of physics made him realize that it was impossible and likely in his head. It certainly felt real enough.

Instead, he just grabbed her hand and held it as she led him to where her car was parked. Sheldon found it strange all the of the little ways that Amy was changing him and even stranger how little he seemed to mind it. Some times were harder than others, like when she attempted to get him to engage in coitus, but then he had moments like this when all sanity and thought of germs flew out the window. A switch had been flipped somewhere in the middle of the night. What had that vixen done to him?

They walked together to Amy's car door. Sheldon let go of Amy's hand. She put both of her arms around the bear and expected him to walk away with his mission completed. Instead, he stood there facing her while her back was pressed against her door.

They stared at each other for a minute, trying to prolong the moment before their separation. Neither of them moved for what seemed like a long time. The streetlight right above them lit their faces, so they could see each other as clearly as if they were still inside.

Sheldon leaned closer to Amy and put his hands on the car door to stabilize himself. His long arms were on each side of her head. He could see the gold flecks in Amy's eyes and he could feel her breath on his face as he moved closer. It wasn't until he was a couple of inches from her that he realized what he was doing. He didn't have to calculate the angle of how to move toward her. He just knew.

It wasn't their first kiss. It wasn't long. It wasn't crazy. It was simple and sweet and it was from Sheldon. That was enough to make sure that Amy would never forget it.

Amy's knees went a little weak. She was glad that she was leaning against the car as Sheldon backed up. Despite all of the changes that Amy had seen in Sheldon over the last day or so, she had never seen this coming.

Neither of them said another word to each other. She climbed into her car, Sheldon closed the door and she watched from her mirrors as he walked back into the building. Amy realized that she was still clutching the bear and she squeezed it harder and inhaled. It smelled like Sheldon. A small, "Hoo," slipped out of her mouth as she started the car. When Sheldon let himself go, he was so much better at all of this than Amy had ever expected.


	6. Chapter 6

** A/N: I hope you still enjoy reading my story, and thank you so much for the reviews. You guys are the best.**

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Sheldon's heart pounded as he walked up the stairs to his apartment. He thought about asking Leonard to drive him to the hospital. Nothing hurt, but he didn't feel like himself at all. He let himself back into his apartment and decided to give it a few minutes. It wouldn't be worth all of the exposure of germs that the hospital would bring if he were fine.

While he was downstairs Wolowitz and Koothrappali had left, so Penny and Leonard were the only ones still inside. They were sitting on the couch, but thankfully not in his spot.

"We heard you were macking on Amy," Penny said as soon as he closed the door.

Leonard looked at her, "You don't say things like that to Sheldon."

"I don't know what you are talking about, Penny," Sheldon said as he sat down.

"Oh, sure you don't. The guys said the saw you when they were leaving."

"No. I literally don't know what you are talking about. What is macking?"

Penny laughed. "Kissing."

Sheldon's face burned slightly and he cursed his fair complexion for so clearly exposing his blush.

"Oh my God! You were!" Penny accused. "I thought they were just making it up."

"I don't know why you, any of you, are so concerned with my life and with what I do or don't do with Amy. I've been forced to listen to you and your amorous problems for years now. Have I ever made fun of you or complained?"

Leonard and Penny said, "Yes," at the same time.

"I can't even deal with you when you are being like this," Sheldon said as he stomped off to his bedroom.

Sheldon locked himself in his room. It was time for him to go to bed anyway, so he changed into his pajamas. As soon as he was done, his phone chimed, alerting him to a new text message.

"I've arrived safely at home. I hope you have a good night, Sheldon," wrote Amy.

"Thank you for letting me know. I love you. Have a good night," Sheldon wrote back. He didn't even realize what he had written until the message was sent. He started to panic. His fears of being emotionally honest with Amy were rearing their ugly heads again. Sheldon nearly sent another message telling her it was a mistake until he received another.

"I love you, too. I hope to see you tomorrow, even if it is only on Skype."

Why did she make his brain stop functioning? Sometimes when Sheldon was around Amy, he felt no more intelligent than Howard or Leonard. It wasn't because she didn't challenge him on an intellectual level because he knew she was more like him in that regard than anyone else he had ever met. It was like he couldn't stop himself from thinking about her. There would be times of the day where he found himself drifting away from his work or his video games. Then a smile would appear on his lips and he would snap back to reality, realizing that he had been thinking about Amy. It was frustrating and wonderful.

Sheldon got ready for bed and climbed in. His bed felt weirdly big and cold. Had it only been the previous night that he had shared his bed with Amy? The day had seemed so long, but that didn't help him sleep. Instead, he lie awake missing something he never knew he wanted. Eventually, he cuddled the bear that still remained on his bed and found sleep and dreams of Amy Farrah Fowler.

Amy stared at her phone for several minutes after she told Sheldon that she loved him too. The kiss, the text message, and the contact? Sheldon was starting to worry her a little bit. It wasn't like him to change so much in a day. He needed a catalyst just to start calling her his girlfriend. What if he actually has a brain tumor? What if he is moving to Switzerland to study the Higgs boson? Why would he change like this so much?

It wasn't the kind of conversation that they would normally have, but Amy was bound and determined to ask him about it the next day. He was likely already in bed for the night. It was late, so Amy thought that she should probably be in bed herself. In her nightgown, she went to the living room to make sure her door was locked. There on her couch was that bear. She sighed and brought it back to her room to sleep with. It was no Dr. Sheldon Cooper, but it would do.

In the morning Sheldon got ready to go play paintball with the guys. He obviously didn't forget that the guys had seen him kiss Amy, but he hoped that they did. They didn't. Nor did they have the decency not to mention it.

"So, Sheldon, you're finally getting some action off of Amy? Took you long enough." Howard said from the backseat of Leonard's car.

Sheldon pointedly ignored Howard, but as usual, it didn't really work.

"When is Amy going to let you Farrah her Fowler?" Howard added in that creepy tone that Howard did so well.

It was taking all of the strength and control that Sheldon had to not shoot Howard in the face with his paintball gun. The engineer wasn't wearing goggles or a mask, so Sheldon could easily blind the man. He kept his jaw clinched and his breathing even.

That last comment was little too much for even Leonard because he gave Howard a look through the rearview mirror. It kept Howard quiet until they reached the field.

The guys found out their opponents were a group of teenagers that they had battled the previous week and lost. Sheldon weighed the costs and the benefits of what he was about to do, and promptly shot Howard in the chest with his paintball gun.

"We won't be needing you today, Wolowitz. Now get back to the clubhouse. I suppose we can collect you before we leave."

Raj and Leonard shrugged at Howard, but didn't say anything. He had brought that on himself. They had the good sense to keep their mouths shut for their own sake, if not for the sake of their friend. They might think this is all as funny as Howard did, but they also wanted their friends to be happy together. Sometimes it was worth keeping their jokes to themselves.

Although, it might have been worth making Sheldon mad because they stomped those kids even without Howard's help. Sheldon and badass were not words that generally went together, but that day they kind of did.

Back at the apartment, Sheldon started his computer so he could talk to Amy.

"Are you going to tell her about your battle today? Try to get her to make out with you some more?" Leonard asked.

"We did not "make out." Also, I wish y'all would stop making such comments," Sheldon said with just the slightest hint of his Texas drawl coming out.

That was the moment that Amy's face appeared on the screen. "Who is making comments?" She asked.

"The guys are being troglodytes. Apparently our kiss was witnessed by Wolowitz and Koothrappali. They have been giving me a hard time today. I was forced to execute Wolowitz, but it didn't matter. We won anyway."

It took Amy a second to realize that Sheldon was talking about paintball. For just the briefest moment, she believed that Sheldon had murdered his friend.

"Is everything okay?" Sheldon asked. He looked concerned by the look on her face.

"Yes. Thank you, Sheldon. I'm fine," Amy looked down for a moment. When she looked back up she looked a little sad. "Does this mean that we are going back to the no contact rule in our Relationship Agreement?"

Sheldon looked to make sure Leonard had walked away before he spoke. "Actually, no. I've been meaning to make some revisions to it if you are agreeable to them, but for now, I have an idea. How do you feel about spending the night in my bed again?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I can't thank you guys enough for the response to this story. Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed. This is the last chapter for this story, but hopefully I'll write another story soon. I love all you Shamy shippers. LLTS.**

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Amy nearly fell out of her chair and she choked on her tea. "What?"

"Remember when we tricked our friends into believing that we had intercourse? I was hoping we could do something like that again. If everyone is so concerned about our physical relationship, we could give them something more substantial to talk about," Sheldon said.

"So, you want to stop them from talking by giving them something bigger to talk about?" Amy asked. She was confused by his plan, but was willing to hear him out.

"Well, there are two reasons why I thought this was a good plan. First, I overheard Leonard talking to Penny, and everyone seems to be "freaked out" by my behavior as of late. I want to see how far they are willing to let me go before they plan an intervention. Second, I just like messing with their heads. Though, I have no interest in playing with either your heart or your head, Amy. Don't let me talk you into something with which you will be uncomfortable."

"It would be just sleeping, right?" Amy asked.

Sheldon nodded.

"Okay. What time do you want me over?" Amy asked. She liked the idea of seeing the reactions of their friends and she liked the idea of spending extra time with Sheldon. Maybe she would even get up the courage to ask Sheldon about the changes he was making.

"I have to do my laundry. You can come over now and keep me company or you can be over at 9:30 if you think it would be tedious."

Amy smiled. She couldn't think of any time that she would spend with Sheldon as "tedious." "I'll be over as soon as I can put together a small bag."

Amy wondered for a moment if she had been minimized on Sheldon's screen because he looked like he had been looking at koalas, but the look was slightly off. Maybe this was what Penny referred to as Sheldon's "Amy face." Amy had never seen it so clearly, but it gave her a warm feeling in her chest. She said a quick goodbye to Sheldon before another "hoo," could slip out of her mouth.

Sheldon started his laundry and waited for Amy to show up. He texted her to tell her to meet him in the laundry room instead of the apartment. She showed up a few minutes later with a bag on her shoulder.

He took it from her, but didn't have anywhere to put it. He looked around and put it in his laundry basket. Sheldon didn't know exactly why he had invited her over so early. He didn't have any activities planned other than washing clothes. He was just happier with her there.

They played a few rounds of counterfactuals while they waited for the clothes to dry. "In a universe where you were a theater major and I was a child television star, what would our current occupations be?" Amy asked him.

"We would be on a television show about funny scientists. Who would play them better than ourselves, and television needs more smart programing," Sheldon replied.

"Correct."

The dryer was finally done. Sheldon folded his clothes using his board and Amy gently placed all of his things in his basket. Sheldon blushed a little as Amy put his underwear in the basket, but she didn't say or do anything different.

When they were done they walked upstairs to the apartment. Sheldon opened the door, but let Amy walk in first. Inside, Penny and Leonard were kissing on the couch.

"Leonard, you're in my spot," was all Sheldon had to say about it.

"Hey, Ames. You don't usually come over on Saturday nights. Helping Sheldon fold his tighty whities?" Penny asked.

"No. Sheldon's process is quite precise. I think it would require more study before I could do it properly,"

Sheldon came over and took Amy's bag from her. "As soon as you done with your clucking with Penny, I'll be in my room."

"Sheldon, is that an overnight bag? Why does Amy have an overnight bag?" Leonard asked.

"Because she is staying overnight. Check you email for the required notice. I sent it earlier. Your mother is right, you have issues with stating the obvious," Sheldon responded.

"You can't use my bed this time."

"I don't need to. My bed comfortably sleeps two."

"Since when? I've heard you say that your bed couldn't fit two people if they were both hobbits."

"Since I learned otherwise. Goodnight," Sheldon said as he walked back to his room.

Amy stood. "Goodnight," she said as she followed Sheldon back to his bedroom.

Amy giggled and Sheldon did his Sheldon laugh. They both loved the look on Penny and Leonard's faces. When they calmed down the each sat on Sheldon's bed and tried to listen to what was happening out in the rest of the apartment.

"No, I'm telling you, Howard, she is in there with him right now. No, I don't know what they are doing. No, I won't listen at the door," Leonard said, clearly on the phone.

"I can't wait to see how fast this gossip travels. Now, would you like to discuss my suggested changes to the Relationship Agreement?" Sheldon asked Amy.

"Yes! Please show it to me right now!" Amy said, a little too loudly. She then put her hand over her mouth, embarrassed. She wanted to see if she could find out what was behind Sheldon's recent changes, but she also knew what that must sound like to someone listening outside the door.

In fact, Amy could have sworn that she heard Leonard and Penny giggling out in the apartment.

Sheldon didn't seem to notice or he didn't care. Instead he pulled out his iPad and pulled up a copy of the Relationship Agreement. All of his suggested changes were highlighted in yellow.

"As you can see, I've suggested that we loosen the restrictions on physical displays of affection when in either of our homes. I'd rather not move beyond hand-holding when out in public. Also, clothing must stay on during these increased physical displays." Sheldon suggested.

"Those seem like reasonable expectations. I would like to read through it quickly, but it all seems alright," Amy said. She spent several minutes looking through the highlighted passages.

"What's this?" Amy asked as she pointed to one of the sections.

"Oh. I was going to get to that. I'm also suggesting a one night a week sleep-over on a probationary status. It isn't something I ever thought I would be comfortable with, so I'm not entire certain how to proceed. When I was a child, my mother tried to make me share a room with my brother, but I couldn't sleep with someone else there. Even at the age of two, I knew I didn't like it. I occasionally put up with it when I have to, but last night was the first night I can ever remember wishing someone else was there with me while I slept," Sheldon explained.

Amy smiled at Sheldon, "Agreed. To all of it. Where do I sign?"

He showed her all of the places to initial and sign.

Amy sat on the bed and watched Sheldon put away his clothes. He was so meticulous about everything, and it made her feel relieved that he was willing to let her into his life, even if it was slow enough to frustrate sometimes. She was there and she didn't have any plans of leaving.

It was late and Sheldon pulled out his pajamas only to realize that he would have to leave to change into them.

"I fear that I didn't think this through as much as I thought. How are we going to change for bed without leaving?" Sheldon asked.

"We could just turn away from each other," Amy suggested meekly. She didn't know why she was suddenly shy around Sheldon. She was usually the one who pushed him, but now that he was open to more, she was afraid to make her old moves.

"Good idea, Amy." Sheldon then took his pile of pajamas and turned his back to her. Amy stared as he started to take off his t-shirt and then his undershirt. He pale back was exposed to her and it took a moment before she snapped back to reality and grabbed her own nightgown and turned away from him. Her hands trembled a little as she tried to pull her nightgown over her head. It was the most she had ever seen of Sheldon's body.

When she turned around, redressed, she found Sheldon turned toward her, looking at her with his head slightly tilted.

"Did you watch me change?" Amy asked.

He shrugged. "Sorry. The hero always peeks." Then he smirked at her slightly.

"Oh my God, Sheldon! I can't believe you did that!"

There was a knock on the wall. "If you guys are going to keep it up all night, I want to borrow your noise-canceling headphones," Leonard said. He went ignored. They knew that they were unlikely to keep making noise.

"Please stay," Sheldon said, and Amy's gaze softened. She remembered that a week ago, she would have given anything for him to do something like that. Normally, he would have ran the other way if she were to undress in front of him.

"Okay. I'll stay if you care to explain to me why you have been so open with me the last couple of days."

Sheldon climbed into bed and waited for Amy to lie down next to him. Once she was next to him awkwardly touching arms but nothing else, he turned toward her a little. "I have two reasons. The first is that the moment I found myself curled up next to you yesterday morning, I realized that once I got out of my own head a little bit I wanted to be with you. I thought of how you told me that stupid people deal with emotional problems better because they don't over think things. Matters of the heart are not my forte, so if I had to let sleeping me take the lead, I would. It led me to you."

"The second reason is that I told you that I love you, and you didn't mock me or turn me away. You said it back. You seemed to mean it."

"I did. I do," Amy said. She loved everything about him. That he was weird and that he liked childish things and that he was brilliant and funny and beautiful. She loved that all of it was as new to him as it was to her. The reminder that he loved her melted some of the awkwardness between them and Amy curled into his chest a little and settled in to sleep.

Sheldon put his arm around her and they both fell into a deep sleep. It didn't matter what the guys thought anymore. They could mock him if they wanted because Sheldon knew he felt stronger with Amy by his side.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I know I said that the last chapter was the last one, but I can't get this story out of my head. Thanks to everyone who has been following along, and continues to follow along. I hope you enjoy. LLTS.**

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When Amy and Sheldon went out to the living room the next morning they were greeted by an unusual sight: Leonard, Raj, and Howard were waiting for them. They all burst into applause when they saw the pair still clad in only their pajamas and robes.

Amy went red, dropped Sheldon's hand, and ran back to Sheldon's room. For his part, Sheldon went very still and quiet. The man who was never speechless couldn't form a single coherent thought for several seconds. Then he started yelling.

"Leonard Hofstadter, you and I have been friends for over eight years! I've put up with a lot of jokes and hassle from you and these two over the years, but this too much! You've gone too far!"

Then Sheldon did something he had never done before. He punched Leonard square in the face.

Amy heard someone yelling, but it didn't sound quite like Sheldon. Then she realized that she had never heard him that angry. He was notorious for avoiding any real conflict.

"Ow. You broke my glasses," Leonard yelled.

"You will all apologize to Amy. I'm fair game, but you will never hurt the woman I love again. Understood?"

Amy was sitting on Sheldon's bed when he stomped back into his room. She was still crying, but had to admit that Sheldon defending her made it hurt a little less. He stopped when he saw her crying. She could tell that he didn't know what to do, so she pat the bed, hoping he would sit next to her.

When he did, Amy leaned into his chest slightly and he put his arm around her, pulling her closer. "This is something that I have never said, and I hope that I never will have to say again, but I was so stupid. I'm sorry, Amy. I should have known that they would react in some stupid way."

"I knew the risks when I decided to stay here last night. You were up front with me and you promised me that you did not want to mess with my heart or my head, remember? And you didn't," Amy said before pressing a brief kiss to Sheldon's lips.

Penny burst through the door at that moment. "Sheldon, I swear to God. I hear all of this yelling and then I find out that you punched Leonard in the face? I'm gonna kick your..." Penny stopped short. She took in the crying Amy being held and comforted by a clearly rattled Sheldon and turned and walked out of the room without another word.

"Leonard, I don't know what you did, but you are lucky I'm not blackening the other eye."

Sheldon jumped at the door slamming. He winced at the involuntary fist he made. Amy noticed his hand for the first time.

"Sheldon! Your hand," Amy said as she pulled away to examine his hand. She touched it gingerly to see if it was broken, but it wasn't. It was starting to bruise and his middle knuckle was split open and bleeding.

"Don't look. I'll be right back," she said. She hoped he wouldn't faint before she could get back with some first aid supplies and ice.

"You don't have to. They'll still be out there," Sheldon warned. He was still protecting her, but she could see that he was in genuine pain.

"Don't be silly. I have to take care of it based on Section Four of the Relationship Agreement. Plus, if you are going to faint on me, I would rather it be while you are safely sitting on your bed. Leonard won't want to incur the wrath of Sheldon again anyway." She left before Sheldon could say anything else.

Amy found ointment and bandages in the bathroom, but the ice would require going into the kitchen. She steeled herself and walked into the living room. Just as Sheldon predicted, the guys were all still there. Leonard's left eye was already bruising and he was wearing different glasses. Amy ignored the guys as she filled a washcloth with ice.

"Amy, we're really sorry. We weren't thinking. We never meant to hurt you. It was a chance to goad Sheldon after his years of superiority over our love lives. It was stupid," Leonard said as the others nodded behind him. He seemed to mean it, but Amy didn't know what to say. These people were her friends. She cared about and respected them, but it felt too much like all of those times growing up when her "friends" had turned on her. Only, this time it was worse because she wasn't alone in her ridicule. They had hurt Sheldon too. The anger she felt was a physical thing in her chest. It was so much stronger than normal because it was also powered by her love for Sheldon. Amy suddenly understood why Sheldon had punched Leonard in the face.

That anger flared in Amy's eyes in a way that made Leonard take a step back. "I forgive you, but I don't want to ever hear another word about either my or Sheldon's sex lives ever again. Okay?"

They all nodded, but didn't say a word. Amy returned to Sheldon's room to take care of his hand. As she suspected, Sheldon had fainted from the sight of his own blood. He was sprawled out on his bed in a way that he wouldn't be if he had simply laid down. She thought about trying to revive him, but it seemed like a better idea to deal with his hand first. If she woke him up, he would probably just faint again once she starting looking at his hand. Neurobiology was missing out on such a great mind because he was afraid of "icky" things. She sighed and knelt by the bed to treat his hand.

Even though he wasn't conscious, she was careful while she gently cleaned and bandaged his injured hand. Once she was done taking care of it, Amy worked to bring Sheldon back around. She said his name, but all he did was groan and grab her hand. She was still unused to contact from him, so it took a moment before she removed her hand to try to shake his shoulder a little. He still wouldn't come around. Amy was starting to get a little worried. Sheldon was breathing fine, but he had been out for a few minutes.

Amy leaned over Sheldon's face and placed a quick kiss on his lips before going to get Leonard for help. As she pulled away, she saw his eyes flutter open.

"Oh, thank God," Amy said. "I was worried when you wouldn't wake up."

"So, you kissed me? Did you think that this was some sort of fairy tale? Also, this puts you in violation of the Relationship Agreement."

"I did not break the Agreement. Just last night you added that we each get one spontaneous kiss each week. I used mine."

"Very well," Sheldon said stiffly. He was never a big fan of being corrected.

Amy chuckled to herself.

"What?" Sheldon asked.

"I was thinking that you are the one who turned out to be Snow White. Just one small kiss woke _you_ up," Amy said, thinking of the time Sheldon refused to kiss her as she lie on their couch dressed as the character herself.

"Your kiss didn't wake me up. It just happened to be good timing," Sheldon said, but he was blushing slightly. Not only was it cute, but Amy loved the idea that she could make him blush. She wanted to kiss him again, but she had used her kiss this week.

Sheldon looked like he could read her mind. He turned his face up toward her and gave her a peck on the lips. "Maybe we should change it to two kisses a week," he muttered more to himself than to her.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks for the continued support. LLTS!**

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Over the course of the next couple months, Amy was ecstatic about how quickly her relationship with Sheldon had progressed during those few days. They continued their once a week, sleeping only, sleep overs. After the snafu with the guys, Sheldon tried sleeping over at Amy's the next week. It was an unmitigated disaster. Sheldon said that her sheets were too scratchy, that her mattress was too firm, that her apartment was too cold, that her water pressure was not strong enough, and that her upstairs neighbors stomped too much. Amy decided that it was easier dealing with Leonard's childish antics than it was dealing with an overly tired Sheldon complaining about every part of her home.

After that, they spent every Saturday night together at Sheldon's. Amy would come over and watch Sheldon do his laundry, help him fold and put away his clothes and then they would sleep in Sheldon's bed together. She loved being able to put her head on Sheldon's chest and listen to his heartbeat. She loved the feeling of his arms around her. She loved hearing his breath as she fell asleep. She loved waking up with him.

Sheldon was surprised by how much he like having Amy in his bed. He missed her when she wasn't there, but he still couldn't accept the idea of them living together. He thought about it occasionally, but the idea still terrified him. He was still getting used to the idea of loving Amy and trusting her not to crush his heart. Still, there was nothing quite like having her there in his bed, warm and soft. Of course, he didn't touch any of her "bathing suit" areas, but the thought was starting to cross his mind with alarming frequency.

To Amy, it was even worth having to pack a bag every week. Amy thought about asking Sheldon for a drawer in his dresser so that she could keep some clothes there, but he was so organized that she didn't think he would be open to it. She thought about trying to find another solution though, as their sleep overs started happening on Friday too.

It was gradual the way that happened. About a month after they first said that they loved each other, Sheldon told Amy that he was going to have to cancel their sleep over that week. He had work that could only be done at that time due to university resources. She felt a little heartbroken, but tried to smile through it. Sheldon wasn't good at noticing the feelings of others, but he noticed that something was off in Amy's expression.

"How about Friday night instead?" He asked.

Her eyes lit up as she said, "Yes. That seems like a reasonable alternative."

The way the gold in her eyes sparkled hijacked part of Sheldon's brain. He couldn't help but lean down and kiss her. He didn't always use his kisses, but when he did he meant them. They were always closed mouth pecks, but there was always a lot of emotion behind them. And they nearly always made Amy a little weak-kneed.

So, that week, Amy brought her things over early. The guys were going to come over for video games, and while things had gotten more or less back to normal, she still didn't want to advertise that she was going to be spending the night.

When she knocked on the door, Leonard answered. He smiled brightly and welcomed her in. Ever since the incident, he had gone out of his way to be nicer to Amy. It seemed like everyone assumed that she was just the girl version of Sheldon, but they learned that she was more emotional and nicer than he was. In a way, it was a good thing that they had been so mean that day. It made them all learn a lot more about each other. Now, they all seemed like real friends.

"Hello, Leonard," Amy said. She walked past him to take her bag back to Sheldon's room. It was kind of funny to her that she had been so excited to be in there before because it just felt like home now.

Sheldon was in his room organizing his comic books. His day at work had been rough because Kripke had been making some serious strides in his work while Sheldon was stuck on a problem involving his M Theory calculations. Plus, it looked like Kripke would need to use the equipment at the University the next night, and Sheldon was no longer prepared to do so. His whole schedule was screwed up, and he wouldn't even get any work done because of it. He was doing the only thing he knew would keep him calm; organizing his comic book collection. This time he was sorting them by his favorite writers.

He heard a slight knock on his door, and figured it was Leonard. He stalked across the room and opened his door.

"What do you want?" he asked before realizing that it was Amy.

"I just wanted to drop my things in here. Do you want to be alone?"

"Alone?" He thought about it for a moment and realized that being alone was the last thing he wanted. He took Amy's bag from her and placed it on his bed and then pull her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "I might not want to be around anyone else, but alone is the furthest thing from my mind right now."

She could smell the talc and man smell of him. It was a little intoxicating.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"Just a bad day at work. I found out that my whole schedule to work on the computers at the University has been cancelled in favor of Kripke's work. Now, my whole weekend schedule is going to be messed up. I have you here tonight instead of tomorrow."

"I can go home and come back tomorrow. We could go to the zoo in the morning like we had planned before this came up and then we'll come here and do your laundry and go to bed. It'll be like any other week," Amy suggested.

Sheldon looked like he was considering it. Amy could almost hear the gears grinding.

"No. You are here now. I love you, Amy. I don't really want you to go away now that I have you in my room," Sheldon said. If it were anyone else, she would take that as a sexual suggestion, but with Sheldon, she knew that he just liked her company. It still made her happy that even when he was upset he wanted to spend his time with her.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the bed and sat down. Amy was very fond of their height difference, but sometimes it made it hard to look right into his beautiful blue eyes. It also made it nearly impossible to kiss him for any length of time. She thought he liked it that way. He could control the situation more.

They sat on the bed about six inches apart. Amy leaned in, "I'm going to kiss you now," she said. He nodded. He seemed to respond better if she warned him first, and "non-spontaneous" kisses didn't have a limit. The difference was that if Sheldon was given a chance to get out of the kiss and he didn't take it, it was on him.

She started the kiss out slowly and closed-mouthed, but then she parted her lips slightly. Normally, the kiss would be over by now. Instead, she ran her tongue over his bottom lip. He froze and then pulled away from her.

"What was that?" He asked.

"I was kissing you," Amy answered innocently.

"It was too much," Sheldon said. He looked terrified. Amy wanted to run from the room. With all the progress they had made, she sometimes forgot how much he still hated about normal couple things. Amy went to grab her bag to leave, but Sheldon grabbed her wrist.

"Please don't go. I'll work harder," he said sadly.

"I'm sorry, Sheldon. I shouldn't have pushed you so far. Especially when you were having such a bad day. Let's go play some video games, eat some Chinese food, and go to bed where we'll just sleep. Then tomorrow we can go to the zoo and I'll even still help you with your laundry. Okay?" Amy asked.

"Will you stay with me tomorrow too?" Sheldon asked.

"If you want me to. I'll have to stop at home to pick up a few things,"

Then, over time, Sheldon would find excuses for Amy to stay on Friday night as well as Saturday night until the Relationship Agreement was changed that they sleep together two nights a week instead of one.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Love you guys. Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

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Once Amy was sleeping at 4A two nights a week, she decided to lay down the law with Sheldon. At least in one regard.

"Sheldon, I'm really going to need to start keeping some things here. If I'm sleeping in your apartment two nights a week I can't keep making time to go home to pick up more clothes. You are going to have to make some space for me in your dresser and bathroom or we are going to have to start staying at my place one night each week."

"You know that I find staying at your apartment to be uncomfortable. I suppose I can find space for you, but this doesn't mean that you are moving in. There will be no space allocated in the refrigerator for you."

"I'm not trying to move in, Sheldon. I'm trying to observe the Relationship Agreement while saving the gas and time that it costs me to go home every Saturday afternoon."

Amy was a little hurt that Sheldon looked so relieved that she didn't want to move in. She hoped that he had gotten over those fears since her ill fated attempt to move in after Leonard had temporarily left. The man moved at a glacial pace. It was enough to make anyone scream.

Then again, Amy knew that while glaciers moved slow, they are one of the strongest forces of erosion on the planet. They moved painfully slow, but they left their mark. It seemed like a pretty good metaphor for Sheldon. He had changed her heart forever.

The next Friday, Amy's bag was overpacked so that she could start keeping some of her things at Sheldon's. They were still planning to stay the night together, but Amy also planned to have a girl's night with Penny and Bernadette. As her relationship had progressed with Sheldon, it seemed like she saw less of the girls, so she had planned to fix that.

Amy dropped her bag off at Penny's before they caught a cab together to meet up with Bernie. It was easier to leave the bag at Penny's because Sheldon would have made her put everything away before she would be allowed to leave.

"So Sheldon is actually letting you leave stuff in the apartment? He freaked out when I left a hair tie in the bathroom. He must really love you," Penny commented as she and Amy were walking down the stairs together.

Amy smiled. "Yeah. He does. I wasn't sure that I really believed it when he first told me, but he doesn't say things like that lightly. Well, that and the fact that he punched Leonard in the face for me." She looked at Penny a little sheepishly and said, "Sorry about that."

"You don't need to apologize, sweetie. First, Sheldon was the one who actually did the punching, and second, Leonard kind of deserved it. I love him, but that was a complete jerk move."

The pair had avoided the subject of that morning even though they had seen each other dozens of time since then.

"I know that you guys were trying to play some kind of joke on all of us that day, but what they did was inappropriate. Like, it would have been any better if you two had had sex," Penny said as she shook her head. "I don't want either of you to be ashamed of anything if you do decide to be more physical. Okay?"

Amy was touched that Penny was going out of her way to make sure that Amy knew it was okay to feel the way that she did. She tried not to tear up as they climbed into the cab that was going to take them both to meet Bernadette.

Bernie was already waiting at one of the tables when they arrived. Penny and Amy each hugged her, and Amy realized how much she missed spending time with just the girls. She certainly enjoyed her extra time with Sheldon, but it just wasn't the same. Both of these girls proved that they cared about her, and that was nothing that she had ever had with girlfriends before.

"Do you guys ever think that we should invite Lucy to one of these nights?" Amy asked about Raj's girlfriend. Amy had only met her once briefly, but she seemed shy and left out. In some ways, she reminded Amy a lot of herself. Thinking of how she had never had a lot of friends before meeting Penny made her feel a little bad.

"Maybe, but I think one of the nights that we stay at home would be a better fit. I've only met her a couple of times, but she seems really skittish. I think a bar would completely freak her out," Bernadette said.

"Maybe," Amy agreed. "I just thought it would help. You guys don't know how weird I was before I met you."

Bernadette and Penny shared a look. Neither of them could believe that Amy had been more weird than she was when they met her. They had gotten used to her quirks like they had gotten used to Sheldon, but she wasn't exactly normal.

Penny wanted to change the subject. "How are things going with Sheldon these days?" she asked. "Anything new other than him letting you keep some things at his place?"

"I freaked him out by trying to trying to involve my tongue while kissing him a couple of weeks ago. Oh and he accidentally brushed my left breast while we were lying in bed last week. Then he spent about 25 minutes apologizing. It would have been funny if it hadn't been so tragic."

Bernadette and Penny started laughing. Amy joined in after a moment. She guessed it was pretty funny anyway. If he hadn't told her that he loved her, she would have been extremely upset about it. It was strange how that little fact made his anxiety about touching her more tolerable.

"He loves you, and he is working toward being able to do more with you. We can all see it," Bernie said.

"He does, but it's nice to hear that you guys can see it. I used to be so worried that you guys didn't think my relationship with Sheldon was real. I know we've been moving slowly, but it works for us," Amy said.

"You shouldn't let what the guys say bother you so much. It's your life and your relationship," Penny added.

"I think everyone forgets how new all of this is for us. I know that we've been together for over two years, but the relationship stuff is still kind of scary. I just wish that I didn't always feel like I was the one pushing him into it."

"I see the way he looks at you when he thinks you can't see him. He wants more, but you're right. He's scared," Penny said. "Maybe we should come up with a plan to make him a little less afraid."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I had a little too much fun writing drunk Amy, so she might show up again at some point. I hope you guys like this chapter, and thanks for the continued support!**

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It was settled, the girls were going to go shopping on Sunday while the boys were going to play paintball. Amy finally agreed to let Penny give her a makeover as long as it wasn't too drastic and Amy had veto power. Penny agreed that they should update Amy's look, but keep it close to her style. She remembered when they had gotten the princess makeovers and Amy looked beautiful as Snow White, but it didn't get Sheldon's attention at all. He seemed to prefer her the way that she was. Penny just intended to update her style a little.

Then, they were going to help Amy get ready for her next date night with Sheldon the next Thursday. It seemed like a solid start to the plan. Manipulating Sheldon was tricky because he could be so smart and so dumb at the same time, but the only way to get him to move forward was to make him feel like he was the one making that choice.

Sheldon had been tricked into meeting Amy by Raj and Howard, but he was the one who asked to buy Amy a drink and for her number. He asked Amy on their first date after they had been talking for months. He asked Amy to be his girlfriend and wrote up the Relationship Agreement. All of the major moves forward (except for maybe their first kiss) were made by Sheldon. Amy might have pushed him in the right direction, but she couldn't make him do anything that he didn't want to.

When the night was over, Amy and Penny took a cab back to 2311 Los Robles and went up to Penny's apartment to get Amy's things. After a quick hug, Amy went across the hall. She had had a couple of cocktails, so she felt like teasing Sheldon some.

Knock Knock Knock "Sheldon."

Knock Knock Knock "Sheldon."

Knock Knock Knock "Sheldon."

He appeared at the door and she giggled. He looked a little confused before he realized that she was a little intoxicated.

"Really, Amy? You went out drinking with Penny. She is such a bad influence on you," he told her.

"She's fun. You could use some more fun in your life, Dr. Cooper," Amy said as she walked into the apartment.

"Fun? I have plenty of fun. I played video games with the guys and I was just about to set up my new train. Though, I think I'll have to take care of you instead."

"Why do you have to take care of me? I want to play with the train," Amy told him.

"You do?"

"Yeah. Teach me about your trains," Amy said. Then she remembered the bag on her shoulder. "This is heavy," she said before she just dropped the bag on the floor. Sheldon shook his head and grabbed her bag. He took it in the back to put her things away. Amy found a bag of cookies in the kitchen and a bottle of water. She wasn't completely drunk, but she thought that she would try to get her faculties back. She wanted to play with trains.

Sheldon tried not to think about the fact that he was touching Amy's underthings as he placed them in the drawer that he cleared out. "We have a relationship of the mind," he told himself as he closed the drawer. He went back to the living room to find Amy eating some of Leonard's cookies and drinking a bottle of water.

"Amy, those aren't mine. You are putting me in direct violation of my own Roommate Agreement," he told her. If it had been anyone else, they would have gotten a demerit, but he decided to let this one slide.

"How about I give him the cost of the cookies and write a personal note of apology and you let me keep eating them? They are really good."

"I suppose that would be okay. You really need some food to help you sober up anyway," Sheldon said.

"Thank you, babe."

"Babe?"

"Yes. You are a total babe. Did you know that I love you?"

"You are far more drunk than I thought. Maybe I should just put you to bed."

"No. I want to play with the trains," Amy said. Sheldon never thought dealing with his girlfriend would be like dealing with a petulant child. He didn't have time to deal with children when he was one. He sighed and went back to his room and pulled out some of his train stuff. He made sure not to take anything too breakable.

Sheldon cleared off the coffee table and started laying down the track. Amy quieted down and watched as he carefully clicked the pieces of the track together to form a loop that fit the table perfectly. Then he pulled out the engine and told her, "This is HO scale. That means half of O which is my bigger train set."

Amy nodded seriously, like this was the most important thing she would hear all day. She watched as he carefully lined the engine up on the track, plugged in the cords, and started the train moving. It went slowly at first, and Amy watched how his hands carefully turned it faster. She watched the little train move for over a minute before she looked up again.

"Do you have more cars for it?" she asked. Sheldon loved the look on her face because she looked genuinely fascinated by the train. He got up to get some of his HO cars and left the train running. Amy was still quietly watching the train when he returned. He stopped the train to add the cars that he brought.

"You have a great caboose," Amy said with a giggle. Sheldon almost wanted to giggle with her despite the inappropriate nature of the joke. She could get him in the strangest moods sometimes.

Once Sheldon had the train set up, offered Amy the control. She turned the dial quickly to full power and the train derailed.

"Did I break it?" Amy asked, peeking through fingers as if this were an actual trainwreck.

"No. You just turned it up too quickly. The track is too small to turn it all the way up. I should have warned you. If I set up the full track sometime, you can turn it all the way up, and watch it move pretty fast. Here, try again," Sheldon said. He set the train back up and then took Amy's hand into his. Together they slowly turned the dial and the train started moving.

Sheldon kept her hand while they watched the train. Eventually, he noticed that Amy had fallen asleep on the couch next to him. He put his arm around her and just watched the train keep moving for another half an hour. It was peaceful and he was glad that, even if it came from some weird drunk place, he could share something he loved with the woman he loved.

"Babe," he chuckled to himself and she stirred next to him.

"You _are_ a total babe," she said again, sleepily. He pulled her up with him and led her into his room to go to bed.


	12. Chapter 12

Amy groaned as she woke up the next morning. It was too bright in Sheldon's room and he wasn't there. The previous night was a bit of a blur, but she remembered being really fascinated by Sheldon's train set. Or had that been a dream? Either way, Amy decided to be a little bit more open about Sheldon's train obsession because it was more fun than she would have thought.

There was a glass of water and two pain killers next to her glasses on the nightstand. Amy put on her glasses and started to reach for the water, but noticed a folded piece of paper there. She opened the paper and read the note inside.

Dear Amy,

I'm assuming that you'll need the pain killers and water after last night. You were still pretty out of it when I had to leave to play paintball with the guys, so I decided to let you sleep. You'll notice a key under this note. Please use it to lock up when you leave and then keep it. I've been meaning to give you one for a couple weeks now.

I'll check in with you later. Have a good day.

Love,

Your "babe," Sheldon

Amy groaned again. She suddenly remembered calling Sheldon a babe and his amusement about it. Then again, she supposed that it was better than him being upset by it. The whole night was nearly enough to make her stop drinking all together.

Amy checked her phone and saw that she only had an hour before she was supposed to meet Penny to go to the mall. Then it hit her, Sheldon had just given her a key to the apartment. Not just to lock up, but to keep. A key to his apartment. He had a key to her apartment for months, so it really shouldn't have been such a shock, but it still was.

Amy wished she had the time to think about what it meant, but she had already slept away most of the morning. Turning on the shower and getting in, Amy tried to let the water carry away the rest of her headache and tiredness. She was definitely going to stop drinking with Penny.

It was strange to be in the apartment without anyone else there. Amy poured herself some orange juice and made some toast before remembering the cookies from the night before. She stole a piece of paper from Sheldon's desk and pen to write Leonard a note and leave him a five for the stolen cookies. It seemed like a fair price for the cookies since she didn't know their actual cost. Then Amy let herself out and locked the door behind her with the shiny new key on her keyring.

She knocked on Penny's door and Penny came to the door still in her pajamas and messy hair.

"Oh good, I'm not the only one who drank too much last night," Amy said when she saw Penny.

"Oh, right. The mall. Come on in and I'll get ready."

"We can do this another day. I don't even need the makeover. Sheldon gave me a key to his apartment. That's a pretty big step forward, right?"

Penny sat down on her couch next to Amy. "Really?" This news had woken her up. Amy handed over the note and Penny quickly read it. "What did you guys do last night? And what is this "babe" thing?"

"We played with his train set and I fell asleep on the couch. I also called him babe, but he seemed amused by it. That's why he included it in the note."

"You are a vixen, Amy. Now, let me go get dressed. This definitely needs to be followed up by a makeover. You don't want to lose this momentum," Penny said as she got up to get dressed.

Amy reread the note from Sheldon while she waited, and then put it in her purse to take home and put in her journal. She wanted to keep that note. Penny was taking a while to get dressed, so Amy decided to wash some of the large pile of dishes in her sink. She was nearly half done by the time that Penny came back out, ready to go.

The mall was pretty busy because it was a really nice Sunday, but Amy and Penny found Bernadette pretty quickly. In each of the stores, Amy couldn't find very much that she would normally wear, but Penny would grab a handful of items and shove her into the dressing rooms. Amy had to admit that some of the stuff was actually really pretty. The skirts tended to be a little more flowing and the tops were a little more fitted, but most of it was still similar enough to what she would normally wear.

Penny pulled some dresses for Amy too. A couple of them were brightly colored, but Amy tried them on too. Penny wouldn't let Amy put any of those back even though Amy didn't really feel like they were her style. She knew that she had veto power, but Amy thought a couple extra items that she would never have thought about wouldn't hurt. Plus, Bernadette said Amy looked great in them.

Penny also talked Amy into buying new glasses. They found some bolder glasses that weren't so different than the pair she had on, but they were black and had thicker frames. They also ordered Amy some contracts. Amy wondered if the "nerdier" glasses were the way to go, but Penny assured her that they were much trendier than the ones she was already wearing.

Amy was glad that Penny was her friend because these all seemed like a random bunch of pieces that she could never figure out how to go together. Penny assured her that she would look beautiful for her date on Thursday.

The group decided to stop for lunch before looking for shoes. The whole day was taking a chunk out of Amy's checking account. It would be worth it if Sheldon responded well, but it was more than Amy had spent on clothes the whole previous year. Especially since she found all of those clothes of her grandmother's. Still, Amy decided to limit the shoe shopping to two pairs. Being a fashionista was a lot harder than she ever knew.

They were finally leaving the mall when Amy got a text from Sheldon. "We lost, but I died very heroically. I hope your day at the mall with Penny went well."

"I'm sorry that you died, but you are always my hero. My day with Penny was long but productive," Amy wrote back.

"Dinner tonight at my place with the guys?"

"Sounds great. I should still have time to get in a nap first. See you soon."

"I'm also planning on taking a nap today. You could come straight here and we could nap together," Sheldon suggested.

Amy wondered if the invitation was out of missing her or if he was just being reasonable. She could have a longer nap if she cut the traffic out of the equation.

"Penny, can I store this stuff at your place for the evening? Sheldon invited me over, and I don't want him to see all of these clothes."

"Sure, sweetie, but I thought you were going to go home to take a nap?"

"I was, but that was part of Sheldon's invitation. He said he was going to take a nap and that I could join him," Amy admitted.

"Aww. Sheldon can't sleep without his Amy. That's cute," Penny said, laughing. Amy's face went a little red, but Penny just hugged her. "I'm sorry, Ames. You guys really are cute together. Who would have known that Dr. Whack-a-doodle would have found someone who loved him so much?"

Sheldon got out of the shower and sat in his spot. He kept flipping through the channels on the television, but nothing good was on. Leonard was working at his computer, but after the third time through the channels he turned to his friend.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm waiting for Amy. She is supposed to be coming back over, and then we are going to take a nap before dinner," Sheldon told him.

"I can just send her in when she gets here if you want to start on that nap."

"No. I have trouble falling asleep without her, so I'll just wait."

"You have trouble falling asleep without her?"

"Yes, Leonard. That's what I just said."

"Why don't you have her over more than just the two nights a week then? I know you were concerned about her moving in, but you could have her over more often. Or you could try sleeping over there again?" Leonard suggested. Sheldon's bad mood when Amy wasn't around made a little more sense to him now. He thought that Sheldon missed Amy, which also seemed likely, but he also was suffering from a lack of sleep.

"The Relationship Agreement says two nights a week, Leonard," Sheldon said as if he had no control over his own ridiculous document.

There was a knock on the door and Sheldon jumped up to get it. It was Amy, and Sheldon pulled her in for a hug as soon as he saw her.

"You could have used your key," Sheldon told her.

"I forgot that I had it. Plus, I get a hug this way."

"You would have gotten the hug either way. Are you ready for that nap?" Sheldon asked. He looked even more tired than Amy, so she nodded and let him lead her into his room. They didn't change their clothes or climb under the covers. Instead, Sheldon just wrapped his arms around Amy and pulled her into his chest before sighing happily. He was asleep before she even had a chance to close her eyes.


	13. Chapter 13

When Sheldon woke up, Amy wasn't there and he was worried. Then he heard people laughing out in the living room, so he decided to go investigate. Everyone was talking, and no one seemed to see him standing in the corner. Sheldon was the outsider that he always tried to be, but it didn't make him feel good. Then, almost as if she could sense him, Amy looked up and locked eyes with Sheldon. The smile that spread across her face upon seeing him made him feel at home.

Amy patted Sheldon's spot, welcoming him to the group. Sheldon made his way over and joined her. The others were teaching her how to play The Mystic Warlords of Ka'a. Penny and Bernadette had volunteered to go get dinner because they already knew how to play and didn't care to join them again.

"Why does this spell card beat that castle card? I don't understand this game at all," Amy said already beyond frustrated. "I should have just let you play and went to get dinner with the girls. Sheldon is here now, so I'll let him take over my hand."

"Don't do that, Amy. It takes more than five minutes to learn how to play. Sheldon, help her play," Leonard said.

Leonard, Raj, and Howard all took their turns. Amy pointed at one of her cards and showed Sheldon. He shook his head and pointed to another card and she put it down. Amy won the round, but she still didn't understand why.

"The animal cards always carry more weight than spell cards," Sheldon whispered in her ear.

Sheldon helped her pick spells, animals, monsters, and castles over the course of the game. After each card, he whispered tips and techniques in her ear. She felt like she understood the game much better the way Sheldon taught her, but that might be the way that he whispered in her ear. During the last couple rounds Sheldon got up to use the bathroom, leaving Amy to fend for herself. However, Sheldon had taught her well and she managed to win the game against the guys.

"I won," Amy told Sheldon excitedly when he returned.

"I knew you would," he told her as he placed a quick kiss on her lips. His pride in his girlfriend was obvious.

Penny and Bernie came back with dinner and they all had a good time eating together. Amy told the girls about her win against the guys and they were happy for her even if they didn't want to start having a tabletop game night.

"Wil Wheaton has an internet show about tabletop games if you would like to watch it with me some time, Amy," Sheldon informed her.

"I think you have forgotten that I am not Wil Wheaton's biggest fan."

"I thought your shared fondness for tabletop games might bring you together."

"Well, perhaps we can watch a few episodes, Sheldon," Amy agreed.

Leonard wasn't often jealous of Sheldon's relationship with Amy. They were both weird and he would hate to never be able to touch Penny when he felt the whim, but occasionally there was a sweetness, a real love, that he could see between Sheldon and Amy. She was willing to take an interest in something Sheldon liked to make him happy. Leonard and Penny loved each other, but he missed being able to share some aspects of his life with her.

Amy didn't see Sheldon again until Thursday for their date night except for a short Skype session on Tuesday. They still texted frequently, but Amy missed Sheldon by the time their scheduled date night came around. She planned to leave work a half an hour early and meet Penny to get ready for the date at five. Then she planned to pick Sheldon up at seven. Two hours seemed like too much time to get ready for one dinner with her boyfriend, but Penny insisted that they would need the time.

Amy arrived at Penny's apartment exactly at five with several of the clothing items that she had purchased on Sunday. She also was wearing the new glasses that Penny had talked her into buying. Though Amy still wasn't used to the new glasses, she had gotten several compliments on them at work that day.

Penny made Amy try on each of the outfits that she had brought twice before choosing a pink dress with a pattern of purple leaves. The dress showed collarbone and was a little more flowing in the skirt than what Amy would ever wear. This was layered with a blue cardigan that was left unbuttoned and she wore a pair of gladiator sandals.

"Are you sure about this, Penny? It seems pretty drastic."

"You look great, and you are still wearing your glasses, a dress and a sweater. I know it seems like a big change, but you still look like you. Now, let me find you some jewelry and we'll do your hair and make up," Penny said looking through all of the stuff that Amy brought and a few things of her own.

Penny finished up with some earrings, a necklace, and putting a little bit of curl in Amy's hair. She looked much more relaxed than with her normal straightened hair. The make up was left very light. There was just enough to highlight Amy's eyes and mouth without being too obvious.

"How do I look?" Amy asked. Penny just pulled her over to the full length mirror and showed Amy just how beautiful she looked. "I don't know, Penny. I hardly look like myself."

"You look great. You're going to knock him off his feet."

Amy still wasn't sure, but she looked at her watch and it was nearly seven. She didn't have enough time to change back, so she decided to just go with it. One little night looking like this wasn't going to ruin things with Sheldon, and it might help him see her for more than just her mind. She laughed.

"What?" Penny asked.

"I was just thinking that I want Sheldon to see beyond my mind, and lots of women want their man to see them for more than their bodies," Amy explained.

"Well, no one ever said you and Sheldon are normal."

Penny followed Amy across the hall. She wanted to see how Sheldon would react to Amy's new look. Amy knocked on the door and Leonard answered. His eyes widened in shock at the way Amy looked. He almost couldn't believe that she was the same person.

"Wow, Amy, you look great," Leonard told her.

"Please, Leonard, don't tell me that you are falling in love with me again," Amy commented.

"Again?" Leonard asked as he looked at Penny. She just shook her head at Leonard. "No, not yet," he said.

"Sheldon, Amy is here," Penny yelled.

Sheldon walked from the back. He was in his normal t-shirt and plaid pants. Amy thought he looked adorable. Sheldon looked at Amy in her new outfit, but he didn't respond any differently than if she were wearing her normal skirts and sweaters. Amy decided to give Sheldon a quick kiss on the lips to see if he would react any differently.

"Amy, please. Leonard and Penny are watching us. Can we just go out and get this date over with?"

Amy was upset. It had been months since had treated her with such coldness. Ever since they had started sleeping together a couple of times a week, he had become much more loose with his restrictions and he hadn't acted like the date nights were difficult for him. Now, it was as if the last couple months had never happened. Amy automatically took a step back to increase the distance between them.

Amy hoped that he might relax a little bit when they got out. They had planned to go to dinner and to the train store. Amy didn't bother trying to grab Sheldon's hand while they walked to her car, and neither did he. It wasn't until they were at the restaurant that she tried to touch him again. Instead of letting her grab his hand, he pulled it back and claimed he needed it to eat.

By the time she finished her meal, Amy noticed that Sheldon would barely even look at her anymore. He stared at his empty plate while he told her about the work he did during the week. This had to go beyond the makeover. There was no reason for him to be acting so standoffish.

"Sheldon, did I do something to upset you?"

"No. Let's go to the train store," Sheldon said as he grabbed his jacket. He shrugged it on and walked out of the restaurant without waiting for Amy.

Amy was near tears when she got behind the steering wheel. It wasn't like she expected him to grab her and take her back to his room to make passionate love to her upon seeing her, but she didn't expect him to act so disconnected either. This stupid makeover and Penny and all the money she spent; they just made her mad.

At the train store, Amy just sent Sheldon inside. She needed a few minutes alone, and she knew he wouldn't even look at her, let alone miss her inside the store. Amy pulled out her phone and texted Penny, "This was a terrible idea. He won't even look at me anymore."

Penny was hanging out in Leonard's apartment watching TV while Leonard worked when she got Amy's text message.

"What's up with Sheldon? Amy just said that he won't even look at her anymore."

"I don't know what's going on with him. He's been a little cranky lately, but I found out yesterday that he is having trouble sleeping without Amy, but he won't let her stay over more often. I get when he is kind of a jerk to me, but he isn't usually like that to her."

Penny wrote back to Amy. "I'm sry. You can go back to normal when you get back."

Amy decided to join Sheldon in the store. She found that she liked the little models that people sometimes set up with their train sets. The tiny buildings and people were so intricate that it reminded her a little of neurobiology. Both involved a tiny little world that most people ignored unless they cared enough to see it.

Sheldon found Amy in the store, but she had long given up trying to touch him. Even the day before, he would have probably taken her hand or put his hand around her waist. Now, for whatever reason, he didn't want to get within a foot of her. He stared at the new train car in his hands when he asked her if she was ready to go.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you all aren't too mad at Sheldon after yesterday's chapter. He has his reasons for his behavior (even if he expresses them very poorly). I hope you like this chapter. Love you guys!**

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Amy drove Sheldon home and followed him upstairs to get her things from Penny's apartment. Sheldon opened the door for Amy, but she just went across the hall to knock on Penny's door.

"She's in here," Sheldon said from his own doorway.

Amy sighed and walked over to 4A. "Hey, Penny. Can you let me into your apartment so I can get my things and go home?"

"Of course, Sweetie."

"You're going home?" Sheldon asked.

"Yes, Sheldon. I'm going home. I've been out with you all night and you won't touch me or even look at me. Did you want me to sit here on the couch so that you can continue to ignore me?" Amy said, angrily.

"I haven't been ignoring you," Sheldon said. "We talked about work and the zoo and word origins,"

"Sheldon, look at me," Amy said, but he kept staring at his own hands. "Fine. I'm leaving."

"Wait," Sheldon pled.

Leonard grabbed Penny's hand and said, "Maybe we should give them a minute." They left to go to Penny's apartment.

Amy stared at Sheldon until he spoke. She wasn't going to be the first one to break the silence.

"I'm sorry, Amy."

"For what, Sheldon? For ignoring me? For making me feel stupid for letting Penny talk me into a makeover that you clearly don't like?"

"I didn't say that I didn't like it. That's the problem. Can't you see?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't look at any part of you and keep my head straight. I look at your hair, and I want to run my hands through it. I look at your exposed collarbones and I want kiss them. I look at your legs in that dress and I want to touch them. Even those new glasses and makeup highlight your beautiful eyes. Every part of you makes me want to do things that are not part of our Agreement. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Dammit, Sheldon. The agreement is there to help guide us, but you can't let it hold us back if we both want more," Amy said. It was her turn to avoid his eyes. "Do you want more?"

"I don't know, Amy. I know that I love you and that I have trouble sleeping when you aren't next to me and I know that I constantly have thoughts about touching you. I know that force equals mass times acceleration. I know that David Tennant was the best Doctor. I know that String Theory is better than loop quantum gravity. I know so many things, but I don't know if I can make myself be the man you want me to be."

"I know you can do anything you set your mind to. That's what I know, Sheldon. What I don't know is what you want," Amy said.

Sheldon stepped closer to Amy. It was physically the closest they had been since Amy had given him a kiss at the beginning of the night. He reached out his right hand and tentatively put it in Amy's hair until he was gently holding her head and then he lifted her chin with his left hand and placed a kiss on her lips.

His lips lingered on hers and they moved them together until Amy's lower lip was in between both of Sheldon's. He parted his lips slightly to run his tongue across her bottom lip. Amy's hands found themselves locked together behind Sheldon's neck of their own accord.

Sheldon pulled back from a breathless Amy and whispered in her ear, "Will you stay tonight?" Then he added, "Just to sleep," in case she got the wrong idea from the kiss.

Amy tried to catch her breath and put her ear to Sheldon's chest. It was moments like this when she could hear his heart quickly beating while he waited for her response that she really loved their height difference.

"Yes, Sheldon. I'll stay." Amy felt like she might have agreed to anything after that kiss, but despite the disappointing evening, Amy always loved sleeping by his side.

Amy texted Penny to let her know that the coast was clear, "I think I got to the bottom of Sheldon's problem, so you can send Leonard back if you want. I'll talk to you about it soon."

"Is everything okay?" Penny wrote back.

"Yeah. I'm staying the night."

"That good, huh?"

"Almost. I'll tell you about tomorrow."

Sheldon was still trying to figure out what had come over him to make him kiss Amy like that. He was sitting alone in his spot because Amy had gone to change for bed. Leonard came back home and sat at his desk. They didn't speak. Leonard knew Sheldon well enough that if he wanted to talk about what happened he would bring it up.

Amy came back out in a long nightgown, robe, and slippers. She still had on the new glasses, but every other trace of the makeover was gone. She sat down on the couch next to Sheldon and Leonard was relieved to see Sheldon put his arm around Amy's shoulders again. Whatever weirdness between them seemed to have dissipated some.

Amy got into Sheldon's bed while he went to get in his pajamas. The only reason Amy had changed so early was that she hoped that it would be easier on Sheldon to see her in her normal sleepwear instead of in the new dress. It seemed to work because he had been able to be in close proximity to her again after she changed and washed her face. Though, the dress had been worth that kiss. She was still thinking about it when Sheldon came back in.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked her.

"You," she told him.

"Why?"

"Because you are handsome, brilliant, and I recently discovered that you are one hell of a kisser."

"Yes, well I can't promise I can be all of those things all of the time, but I'm glad that I didn't completely ruin your evening."

Sheldon got into bed next to Amy. She curled up against his side, and she said, "I just wish that you could be honest about what you are feeling. I can handle that you didn't like my makeover, but it hurt me that you didn't want to even look at me without knowing why. I thought you hated me."

Sheldon pulled away from Amy. "I'm sorry. I didn't think about how my reaction would affect you. I just thought it would be better if I didn't maul you in my apartment in front of Penny and Leonard."

"You wanted to do that?" Amy was shocked.

"I don't think you understand what you do to me. I've tried so hard to have a relationship of the mind with you, but I find myself thinking of your body more and more often. The germs and my phobias used to be enough to hold me back. Then I started holding your hand, putting my arm around you, kissing you, and even sleeping in the same bed as you. Then, as I do more, I want more."

"So you do want more?"

"Of course I want more, but what if I can't? I can't risk losing you because of it."

"Losing me?"

"I like what we have, Amy. I don't want to lose it."

"I don't want to lose what we have either, Sheldon, but isn't there some part of you that wants to move forward and have a physical relationship with me?"

"I don't know if it's worth the risk."

"Nobody knows if it's worth the risk, Sheldon. That's part of the adventure. You like adventure in all of the sci-fi shows and movie you watch. You like adventure in the games you play."

"There's no real risk in any of those things. That's why I like them. There is no one else like you, and even if there was, it took me thirty years to find you. How could I risk losing what I have with you for some ridiculous physical gratification?" Sheldon told her.

Amy could understand how scared Sheldon was because she was scared too. She was quiet for a little while before she finally answered. "If you do more and then want more, why wouldn't that more be good? Everything we have now, we have because you or I took a risk."

"Don't you see that each risk becomes exponentially more terrifying. The risk I took meeting you that day with Howard and Raj was small. If you decided that you didn't like me or I you, I could have gone home that day without a second thought. If I hadn't asked you to be my girlfriend I might have lost you to Stuart, so that one was much easier because the risk was in not changing the paradigm of our relationship. If you had said no to the Agreement changes a couple of months ago and instead had chosen to terminate our Agreement, it might have killed me, but you seemed happy enough that I could handle that risk. Since then, we've only gotten closer. If you left me now, I don't know how I would react."

Sheldon hated admitting how much he needed Amy. It wasn't a secret that he loved her or that he "lost his mind over her" during their brief split. Still, it was different saying it out loud.

"Sheldon, I need time to think about this, but know this. Never forget this. I love you. I've loved you for years and I will continue to love you. Now, we have work tomorrow, so let's go to sleep."

"Years?" Sheldon whispered to himself before kissing Amy on the forehead and settling in to sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I recently passed 100 reviews and 70 follows on this story. You guys have no idea how much it means to me to have your continued support. I love writing this and I hope you will continue to enjoy reading it. Thanks!**

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The next morning was a bit of a rush because three people needed to shower, dress, and eat breakfast. Amy wished that she had gotten up earlier because by the time she got to shower most of the hot water was gone. There wasn't any time to discuss anything important, but Amy made plans to come back over after work. She hoped that she could talk to Sheldon at some point during the weekend.

At least Leonard was driving Sheldon to work so Amy didn't have to worry about being late. She was still at the beginning of a new project at UCLA, so it was important to make a good impression and be on time. She missed her addiction monkeys, but her new dementia study was important and could change lives. Amy and Sheldon stopped debating whether neurobiology or physics was better, but Amy still believed that her work could make the world a better place and didn't mind stating that fact.

Once work was over, Amy decided to stop back at her apartment to pick up more clothes. It was nice to have things over at Sheldon's but his extra sleep overs made it taxing on her supplies over there. She thought it was funny that that was the thing that he was willing to break the Relationship Agreement about. Of course, there was always a reason why he needed her there. He didn't want her living with him, but he loved her sleeping in his bed.

Amy showed up at 4A before Sheldon and Leonard got home. Amy debated seeing if Penny was home so that she could wait there. Instead, she pulled out her key and let herself into their home. She still wasn't used to being there alone, but she decided to put her clothes away and put the kettle on for a cup of tea.

The kitchen was where Sheldon and Leonard found Amy when they got home. Sheldon was carrying a stack of video games for vintage video game night.

"I don't know if it's okay that I let myself in," Amy started explaining as soon as they came in.

"It's fine, Amy," Leonard said. "It's better than you sitting out in the hall waiting for us to come home. I don't think you could have even waited at Penny's because she's at an audition. You should make yourself at home."

"Well, as much as someone who doesn't live here," Sheldon added.

"I know I don't live here, Sheldon. You really don't need to remind me. In fact, I'm fine if you want to stay at my place a night or two a week," Amy told him. It was getting on her nerves that he had to remind her that he didn't want her living there. Other than the time that Leonard wanted to move in with Penny, she had never even brought it up again.

"That won't be necessary. I like sleeping here," Sheldon said as he started setting up his NES.

"I'm going to go get dinner. If you are going to make out, please keep it to your room," Leonard said as he walked toward the door.

Amy was bemused by Sheldon's response. Instead of denying that it was even a possibility like he normally would, he said, "Why? You don't."

"Whatever, but Howard, Bernadette, and Raj will be here soon enough," Leonard said before he closed the door.

Sheldon didn't make out with Amy or even really talk to her while he continued to set up the video game system. He blew on game cartridges and tested the controllers to make sure everything was in working order before he joined Amy in the kitchen. She poured him a cup of tea and kissed her temple. It always seemed easier for him to kiss her head than to kiss her on the lips.

"What are you going to do this weekend?" Sheldon asked Amy.

"I think I'm going to go the mall and try to return some of those clothes that Penny talked me into buying."

"Why are you going to do that?"

"You couldn't even look at me when I was wearing them and most of them aren't really practical for work. I might keep an outfit or two for girls' night with Penny, but I don't really need a bunch of clothes that I never wear."

"But I liked that dress you wore yesterday."

Amy turned to stare at Sheldon with her eyebrow raised and her mouth pursed. He was so frustrating sometimes.

"How would you know? You barely even saw me in it."

"You're wrong. Do you forget my eidetic memory? I saw you in that dress all day. I felt the fabric of that dress between my fingers all day. That dress might set the entire field of physics back." He turned his head to look her directly in the eyes and his blue eyes scalded. "I like that dress."

Amy put her hand over her mouth. The amount of passion that Sheldon showed over the dress was nearly unprecedented. She had only ever seen him care about physics that much.

"Fair enough. I'll keep the dress. I wouldn't have felt right about returning it after I wore it anyway."

"And the rest?"

"Geez, Sheldon. Do you didn't even see the other things I bought."

"I know. I want to see them. I don't think you should return them either. I think that you and I should go the Natural History Museum tomorrow and then to the Lego store and you should wear one of those new outfits. I promise I'll look at you and even hold your hand the whole time."

"Oh, good, I can spend two hours getting ready and my boyfriend promises to look at me."

"It took you two hours to get ready?" Sheldon asked. He suddenly looked sad.

"Yeah, but a lot of it was choosing the outfit. Then there was the make up, and I don't really plan on doing a lot of make up for the museum. If you really think you can handle it, I'll go pick something from the stuff that I left at Penny's."

"I'm sorry that you put so much work into looking nice and I made you feel bad about it," Sheldon said.

Amy was feeling brave from Sheldon admitting that he liked the way she looked and his genuine apology. "Do you feel sorry enough to kiss me like you did yesterday?"

"I... um... okay," Sheldon said.

Amy was shocked that he agreed, but stood up from her stool and walked around the island. Sheldon stood up and put his hand on Amy's shoulder. He tried to remember all of the details of what he had done the day before. He stiffly leaned down to Amy and tilted his head slightly to the right. He pressed his lips against hers and opened his mouth a little. It was very awkward for both of them because it was too planned and they were both too much in their own heads. Sheldon pulled back after a few seconds.

"See? I'm not any good at this. It's too hard to remember exactly what to do and how to do it. Even my memory can't let me figure out exactly how to kiss you," Sheldon said sadly. "I'll never be able to do everything you want me to do." Sheldon slumped back down onto the kitchen stool.

"That's the thing, Sheldon. I don't believe you because you did it yesterday. Maybe we just need more practice," Amy said. She put her forehead on Sheldon's.

Feeling Sheldon's honey sweetened breath from the tea on her face, Amy decided to place one more little kiss on his cheek. That was what she intended at least. She kissed his left cheek once, but that led to a trail of kisses back to his lips. She could feel Sheldon start breathing faster as she opened her mouth and used her tongue to first explore Sheldon's lips and then his mouth as he parted his own lips to allow her access.

They kept at it until they heard the gasps of Raj, Howard, and Bernadette who had just let themselves into the apartment.


	16. Chapter 16

Sheldon and Amy broke apart. It wasn't the first time that their friends had seen them kiss, but it was the first time that their friends—especially Raj, Howard, and Bernadette—had seen them be so intimate and passionate in their affection towards each other. The group was standing at the open door frozen when Penny came up behind them.

"What's going on?" she asked. Then Penny saw a very red faced Sheldon and Amy standing next to each other in the kitchen and put it all together. "Let's go to my apartment for a minute," Penny said as she started pulling on Raj's arm.

"No. That really isn't necessary. Leonard will be back with dinner pretty soon and Sheldon has a whole bunch of games he probably wants to talk to you about," Amy said very quickly and then she walked back to Sheldon's room.

Everyone else still stood in shock until Penny pushed her way back to talk to Amy with Bernadette in tow. Sheldon just muttered something about how he should have listened to Leonard, and Raj and Howard just made themselves at home.

Penny knocked on Sheldon's door. "Sweetie, are you okay?"

Amy opened the door and let the girls in. She would probably get in trouble with Sheldon for letting them into his room since he seemed to disapprove of anyone besides her being in there.

"I'm fine. I just needed a minute," Amy told them.

"I'm sure you did. I didn't even know that Sheldon could kiss someone like that," Bernie said.

"It's pretty new," Amy admitted. Penny and Bernadette wanted a play by play of everything that had happened since the night before, so Amy tried to explain how Sheldon liked the makeover so much that it scared him and how he kissed her. She left out the part where he admitted that he wanted more, but was terrified of losing her. It seemed like that part was too intimate to share.

The girls listened in rapt silence while they heard about the side of Sheldon they never imagined existed. In fact, the story and the follow up questions lasted until Leonard knocked on the door to let them know that he was back with dinner. They went back to the living room.

"Amy, there is a clause in the Roommate Agreement that says that no one is let into my room without express permission from me," Sheldon said as they came back out.

"Sheldon, I'm not held by your Roommate Agreement with Leonard."

"Fine. I'll start amending the sleep over section of our Relationship Agreement in the morning before we go to the museum."

"Okay. Will you pass me the brown rice?" Amy asked. She enjoyed that Sheldon was annoyed because of his own lack of foresight. It didn't happen often because that man planned everything down to the most minute detail. That was except for one little vixen who kissed him in the kitchen.

Sheldon handed her the rice as she assembled her own plate of food. Everyone was relatively quiet as they started to eat, but then Sheldon started a discussion about super hero cartoon shows from the 1990s. Amy found that she knew exactly nothing about this, other than recognizing a few character names. Penny and Bernadette were talking about some new shoe store that they wanted to check out. Amy didn't really know anything about that either, but at least their conversation was easier to follow.

It was a fun night for everyone. The girls were happy to spend time with each other while the boys played video games. Amy managed to avoid having to play against Sheldon, despite his protests. It was only because she promised him that the next week she would let him teach her the games before everyone else arrived. She was going to have to find a better excuse than that she didn't know how to play the games.

Everyone else left by ten, leaving Sheldon and Amy alone in the apartment. Amy put on music while helped Sheldon wash and dry all of the dishes that were left behind, vacuum, and take out the trash. One of her favorite songs came on and she smiled and leaned into Sheldon's side. The song always reminded her of him. It was a comfortable way to end the night.

"Amy, would you be alright with adding another night of you staying here on weeks with date nights?" Sheldon asked.

"I've been thinking about that section. I think that leaving it open would be better. At least for the time being because it has been the section of the Agreement has been changed more often as of late. Maybe we could just leave it open until we decide exactly how many nights a week you want me in your bed?" Amy asked with a wink.

"Left unchecked, I'll want you in my bed every night," Sheldon admitted.

"You say that like it's a bad thing. I like being around you and I like sleeping around you, but I agree. Maybe two nights apart every week? We could keep it at two nights a week together, but another three nights a week would be optional," Amy suggested.

"That might work, but we'll keep it on a probationary status for now," Sheldon said.

"The sleep over section has never been out of probationary status because every time it gets close to being a permanent change you add another night," Amy said with a laugh.

"That's why it's probation. I couldn't have known how much I would like having you by my side while I sleep. Like I told you, I've never experienced that feeling before."

Amy didn't answer. She was used to being Sheldon's firsts and he hers, but it was still a heady thing. Amy hadn't wanted to meet Sheldon and he hadn't wanted to meet her, but she was thankful for the people in their lives who had thrown them together. Amy thought about buying flowers for her mother to thank her for making her date once a year. All of those creeps who didn't understand anything she said were almost worth it just to find Sheldon.

The song changed and it was another one that reminded Amy of Sheldon. She wondered when all of the love songs reminded her of her boyfriend. Then her mind went back to that night years before when Sheldon had danced with her. He hadn't been her boyfriend then, but it had been one of the first times that he had willingly touched her. It was also one of the first times that she was relatively sure that she was in love with him.

"Sheldon, will you dance with me?"

"You know I don't dance," he told her.

"You did once," she said sadly.

"If I promise you that I will dance with you when we get married, will you let me beg off tonight?"

"When we get married?" she asked. He had never brought up the idea of them getting married, let alone said it with such certainty.

"Well, it is customary for the couple to dance at the wedding isn't it?" Sheldon asked. He didn't even seem to notice that he was giving her hope that it would actually happen.

Her voice was shaky as she asked, "So you think we'll get married one day?"

"Yes. It seems probable that you and I will marry one day. I don't think that I will ever find someone who is a better match for me than you are. Besides, you've been dropping hints that you would like to get married and start a family with me one day. This hasn't changed, has it?" Sheldon said as if he were talking about any of a hundred subjects that they normally discussed. It didn't distress or excite him. He spoke about it as if it were simply a fact that they would one day get married.

"I'm worried that I won't ever understand you."

"I'm not sure how I've confused you. You are a brilliant neurobiologist. It seems like if anyone should understand me, it's you."

"You can speak to me about getting married calmly, but you throw a fit every single time you think I'm attempting to move into your home. I would expect us to live in the same home and to even have sex if we were married."

"We have to work up to these things, Amy. I'm not proposing to you today because I know that I'm not ready for those things. That doesn't mean that I don't want them with you. You are so antsy to get to the finish line while I'm enjoying the journey."

"Enjoying the journey?"

"Yes. While I'll admit that I have a lot of hangups that hold me back, I've enjoyed reaching a hundred little milestones with you. This journey with you has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life."

"Wow. How are you so good at being romantic?"

"I excel at many things, Amy."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I'm uping the rating of this to T for general reasons, but mostly because there has been more making out than I intended when I started this story. Thanks for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting. I love you guys, and long live the Shamy.**

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Penny helped Amy pick an outfit for the museum. She wore an A-line skirt and a short sleeved blouse that hugged her body much more than her normal baggy tops. True to his word, Sheldon couldn't keep his eyes off of her and he only let go of her hand when they stopped to get something from the museum restaurant. Amy loved going to museums with Sheldon because he always noticed if something was incorrect on the display boards or the way something was laid out. He was a brilliant physicist, but he knew a lot more than just physics. Amy made a game of trying to see the errors and point them out before Sheldon saw them. Each time she managed it, she was pleased at the proud glint in his eye. With anyone else he would have been frustrated at their beating him at his own game, but with Amy it was just another sign that they were meant for each other. If they ever needed another person on their physics bowl team he would rather have her and her neurobiologist brain than Leslie Winkle any day of the week.

At the Lego store the couple separated for a little while, Amy looked at the Harry Potter figures and nearly bought herself a Hogwarts Express. Damn Sheldon and his adorable train obsession. She thought it would be fun to put it together with Sheldon after they finished doing their laundry. It was kind of expensive. She was still weighing her options when Sheldon appeared at her side. He put his hand around her waist and pulled her to his side.

"Looks like you found something good. I did too," he said as he squeezed her a little bit. There was nothing in his hands besides her. When she realized that he meant her, she blushed uncharacteristically. Then again, Sheldon rarely did something like that to make her blush.

"I was thinking about getting this for us to put together later. We both like Harry Potter and you've shown me that trains aren't too bad either. Still, it's pretty expensive. What do you think?"

He just took it from her and they went to go check out. He paid without asking her for a cent.

"You didn't have to do that, Sheldon."

"I know, but it sounded fun. Harry Potter, a train, Lego, and my woman. I don't think I could beat that night."

"Your woman?" Amy asked. She wasn't sure if she liked the idea that he thought she belonged to him.

"Yes. You are my woman and I am your man."

"As long as you're mine too, I guess that's okay."

Sheldon smiled at Amy, "I'll always be yours."

They went out to dinner to one of Sheldon's approved restaurants. It was really nice to have dinner alone on a non-date night. Amy was just glad to be in a quiet place where she could talk to Sheldon without any of their friends overhearing.

Amy picked at her pasta while Sheldon ate. He looked up and caught her staring at him so he stared back. He held her gaze until some emotion flickered across his face too fast for Amy to full catch it, but he blushed and dropped his eyes.

"Is everything okay with your pasta? I can send it back if you don't like it," Sheldon offered.

"No. It's fine. I was just thinking about our conversation the other night. Have you thought about it any more? About us moving forward?"

"Isn't that what we've been doing?" Sheldon asked. He looked confused by her question.

Amy thought about the previous couple of days and all they had shared. She realized that Sheldon agreeing to kiss her and talking about marriage had been huge jumps forward. He was right, she wasn't enjoying the journey. She was always looking for the next step.

"I love you, Sheldon."

"I love you, too, but why the reminder?"

"I felt like I needed to tell you because I sometimes forget how hard you work to prove to me that you love me. Now, should we get dessert here or stop on the way home for ice cream?"

"Ice cream."

Sheldon started gathering his laundry as soon as they were home. The traffic was bad, so he was going to be a little late getting it started as it was. Amy gathered her things as well, but she didn't have nearly as much as Sheldon did. They loaded the machines, but in their haste to get the laundry started quickly, they forgot to bring a game to occupy them while the clothes ran.

"Well, what do you want to do now? We could make up a game of counterfactuals or should we go back upstairs and get something to do," Sheldon suggested. He didn't like to leave their clothes unattended if he could help it.

"I have an idea of something that we could do without going to get anything," Amy said with a wink.

"What is that?" Sheldon was nearly afraid to ask.

"We could practice kissing."

"Amy! Anyone could just walk in here."

"Does that mean no?"

Sheldon looked up and pursed his lips. "It means not here."

Amy liked that it wasn't a no, so she let it go. They ended up just talking while the clothes washed and then dried. She was trying to enjoy just being in the moment with Sheldon instead of waiting for the next move.

"The tourists always have food in their pockets, so the macaques know to steal food from them at the temples. They can be quite aggressive about it. That's why you have to be careful in Sri Lanka," Amy finished her story.

"You don't have to worry about me ever wanting to go to Sri Lanka. Even if there were no food stealing monkeys," Sheldon said. He was folding up the last of his clothes.

"Is there anywhere you do want to go?" Amy asked.

"Switzerland to go to CERN or Stockholm when I finally win my Nobel Prize."

Amy smiled at Sheldon's confidence. It was the same finality that he had when he spoke about their eventual wedding.

Sheldon was ready to walk back upstairs. "I'm all done. Train or practice?" he asked Amy.

"Both," Amy said with a smirk.

"They are both going to take some time and concentration. I don't know if we'll have time for both."

"We'll make time."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: If you read my other story, this note will look familiar. ** **Due to family obligations, I'm not sure if I will be able to keep up with my regular posting schedule over the next couple of weeks. I'll try my hardest to keep writing and posting. There are so many great Shamy stories being written right now that I know you guys will make it through. I still love you and long live the Shamy!**

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Sheldon was right. He and Amy didn't have enough time for both activities. That's why there was a half-built Lego Hogwarts Express sitting on the coffee table. On the other hand, Amy and Sheldon had found a good rhythm on the other front. Sheldon was a quick learner, and now Amy thought he kissed like a champ. She hoped that Sheldon had enjoyed himself half as much as she had.

Even six months ago, Amy would never believed that she would be lying on Sheldon's bed while he ran a trail of kisses along her jaw. She hoped, but she never really believed he would be capable of doing it. Their clothes stayed on the entire time, but for once, Amy was completely fine not moving forward. When Sheldon had his hands on her waist and his mouth on hers, she could stay there forever.

Amy woke up late on Sunday morning. Sheldon was there, but he had obviously gotten up, showered, and gotten dressed while she was still sleeping. He was in her favorite Batman t-shirt and quietly reading a book.

"Good morning," she said.

He looked over and smiled at her. She could see the love on his face as plain as if he said it out loud. "Good morning. Leonard and I were wondering if you and Penny wanted to play paintball with us today. Since Raj is visiting his parents and Howard and Bernadette are at her uncle's funeral, we're short a couple players."

"I don't know, Sheldon. I would probably just hold you back."

"Please. I'll be your best friend," Sheldon said in the tone of a five year-old child. She thought it was adorable that he was so eager to share something else with her.

"You already are my best friend, but I'll come with. Just help me not get killed in the first five minutes. That would be embarrassing."

"I thought Penny is your best friend," Sheldon said.

"Penny is my bestie. She is my best girlfriend, but you are my best friend. There's nothing I can't tell you. There's nothing that I don't want to tell you."

Sheldon hugged her to his chest and said, "We have to go buy you some gear if you are going to play with us."

"Okay," she told him. Then after he didn't let her go, "Um, I'm going to have to get dressed."

"Right," Sheldon said as he let her go.

Penny agreed to play paintball too, but only if Leonard promised to buy her gear instead of making her wear rental stuff again. That meant that Leonard and Sheldon had help their girlfriends figure out everything they needed and then they had to wait while they tried everything on.

Amy didn't usually wear pants, but it was going to be difficult to wear a skirt or dress while she ran through the field. The jumpsuit that Sheldon suggested was not tight, but like some of her more recent purchases, it was more formfitting than she was used to. She was nervous when she walked out of the dressing room to show the guys. Penny was already out there, and she looked great in her jumpsuit. Amy figured that no one would even look at her with Penny around. That's how it normally went. Amy was always second fiddle to her gorgeous friend.

Penny and Leonard were flirting with each other while he told her how great she looked. Sheldon looked bored and ready to bolt out of the store, but then he caught sight of Amy. She saw a look flash across his face that she had only recently began to recognize from him. She could tell that he thought she looked good in the jumpsuit.

"What do you think?" Amy asked Sheldon just to make sure he liked it.

"It's perfect," he said quietly. She was worried because even though he was getting better at dealing with his growing attraction to Amy, Sheldon looked like he was having trouble meeting her eye. Then he shook his head a little bit and took a couple steps closer to her. "I just hope you don't distract me too much, you vixen," he whispered in her ear.

It took another hour and a half before they had finished shopping and for Sheldon to give Amy a full tutorial on how to use the equipment. Then they went to the paintball field and found a game to join. Amy was still nervous about losing them the game, but she found out that she was sort of a natural at shooting the paintball gun.

They found a building to have a pre-game meeting and Sheldon ran through the plan again. He and Penny would take point and Leonard and Amy would be backup and cover. Then he fit the goggles over Amy's eyes and made sure her helmet was secure before they went out to destroy the Cal Tech geology department.

Amy followed Sheldon's directions and stayed with Leonard. She could see Sheldon and Penny up ahead scoping out the land. She was nervous until the paintballs started flying and then some instinct that she didn't even know she had took over. In between two trees, one of the geology department lackeys was hiding and trying to get a shot off at Sheldon. Amy spotted him and shot him on her first try. It was just in the shoulder, but she was still pretty proud of it. Leonard saw where she was shooting and got him in the chest right after her shot. They high-fived and then dropped back into position just before someone nearly shot them.

Sheldon was the first in their team to get shot. Amy ran forward and assassinated the two guys who took out her boyfriend. Sheldon admonished her for breaking formation, but she could tell that he was a little proud of her for taking them out. Leonard was shot next. That meant that the girls were the only ones left in their team. They threw Sheldon's plans out the window and stayed together. Between the two of them, they managed to take out the rest of the other team without injury.

"Forget these guys, Amy. We should start a team of Bernadette, you, and me. We could destroy these guys any day of the week," Penny said as she hugged Amy when they won.

"Yeah we could," Amy laughed back.

"Hey. We paid for the equipment," Leonard complained.

"Okay. You can be our back up," Penny said before placing a kiss on Leonard's lips.

Sheldon looked sad about having been beaten, so Amy gave him a kiss too. "We never would have won without your noble sacrifice."

That cheered Sheldon up considerably and he started going on about strategy. It sounded like he wanted to include Amy and Penny in their regular game. The girls shared an eye roll, but didn't say anything. It would be easier to just go along with it for now.

With their men on their arms, Penny and Amy decided that they should all go out to dinner. Amy was planning on going home for a quiet night alone, but she decided to use the new additions to the Relationship Agreement and stay with Sheldon one more night. It had been since Wednesday since she had slept in her own bed. It felt like it should have been a sacrifice, but in reality, it was getting harder to go home when she had to.

Besides, she had a train to finish building with her boyfriend and some thin, beckoning lips to kiss.


	19. Chapter 19

They had finished building the Hogwarts Express and it was now sitting on a shelf in Sheldon's room. He told her that she could keep it, but she liked having it here. Maybe it would remind him of her when she was spending her nights at home. He also had a newly framed photo of Leonard, Penny, Amy, and himself in their paintball gear that Penny had arranged to be taken earlier in the day. It was on his bedside table, and Amy loved that he would see a picture of her every night before he went to bed even on the nights she was at home.

"Have I told you how good you are at this?" Amy murmured as Sheldon placed a few more kisses on her neck. She was in her nightgown and he was in his pajamas. Amy thought they were just going to bed, but Sheldon was the one who wanted to spend more time kissing her. He didn't answer, but instead he seemed focused on the spot on her neck right above her collarbone. Amy was enjoying the sensation of his mouth pressed against her neck and she was a little disappointed when he pulled back. A tingle lingered, but it was no replacement for Sheldon's skilled mouth.

She pressed one more peck to his lips as he stayed balanced above her on his hands. Then he started to move to his back so that they could actually go to sleep when something caught his eye.

"Uh. Amy? Remember when you explained to me what a hickey is?"

"You didn't," she accused.

"I think I might have. There is a mark there," Sheldon said shyly.

Amy jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. Sure enough, there was a light mark there on her neck where Sheldon had just been so attentive. She didn't even remember feeling his teeth against her skin, but the mark was there all the same. She was half elated and half mortified. It was proof that Sheldon liked making out with her, but it was also embarrassing to be in one's thirties and be sporting a hickey at work. Maybe it would be gone by the time she got up to go to work the next morning.

"I can't believe you did that, Sheldon," Amy yelled from the bathroom. In her haste, she forgot that Leonard and Penny were still in the living room.

"What did he do?" Penny asked as she rounded the corner to see Amy. Amy didn't see any sense in hiding it from Penny, so she lifted her head so that Penny could see the mark. "Wait, Sheldon Cooper gave you a hickey? The weirdo who lives in this apartment?"

Amy nodded and Sheldon yelled, "I didn't mean to. Amy, stop telling people that I gave you a hickey." He appeared in the doorway at the same time that Leonard appeared in the hallway. "I forbid any of you from telling Howard Wolowitz about this," Sheldon told them all.

Amy, Penny, and Leonard all said, "Agreed," at the same time. Amy felt glad that Penny and Leonard had somehow become their greatest allies in their relationship. It made them feel like real friends. Amy had never had anyone in her life when she was growing up that would help her keep a secret like this.

Leonard and Penny genuinely rooted for their friends and their relationship. They had also proven over the last couple months that they could respect Sheldon and Amy's privacy and help them out whenever they could. Leonard never complained about Amy spending so much time at the apartment and Penny was always willing to give advice. They really were good friends.

Penny inspected the mark again. She assured Amy that it wasn't too bad and promised to show her how to hide it with make up. Leonard just smiled at his friend knowingly and pulled Penny into his room for the night.

"I still can't believe you, Sheldon," Amy said as she got back into bed.

"This is why I didn't want to move forward with you. I let myself get carried away and you got hurt. I'm effectively putting a stop to this until I've been able to more research on the subject," Sheldon said. "I guess I'll have to look at that book again after all," he added more to himself than Amy.

"What book?" Amy asked.

"Leonard and Penny bought me a book explaining human relationships last year," Sheldon explained as he pulled the book out to show Amy. She started giggling.

"Penny gave me that same book six months ago. I guess they are really pushing us to be together."

"I'm glad you find it funny, but you can see why I'm so worried about all of this, right?"

"Of course I can, but you are so good at everything. I am trying to back off because I've come to realize that I haven't felt this loved by anyone in a long time. I'm so happy because of you. Now, come lie back down, so I can give you a hickey to match mine."

Sheldon put his hand on his neck.

"I was kidding. I won't give you a hickey, but I would like to you to lie back down. I have work tomorrow," Amy said staring at Sheldon. He was just a blurry form standing next to the bed because she had taken off her glasses. She couldn't read his face, so it was nice when he just got back into the bed with her. He didn't seem afraid anymore when he kissed her one more time before settling in to sleep.

Amy woke up in her favorite way; with Sheldon completely wrapped around her. So often, he woke up before she did, so she usually woke up alone or with him lying next to her already awake. Instead, his arm was laid across her waist and his leg was sprawled over hers and his body was pressed against hers. Sheldon assured Amy that he never moved from his normal position on his back when she wasn't there. That made Amy concerned that he didn't get a quality sleep when she was there, but he assured her that he slept much better with her there.

Sheldon looked so peaceful in his sleep that Amy didn't want to wake him as she got out of bed. Her attempts to slowly wriggle out of his grasp failed because as soon as she started to slip away, Sheldon pulled her back to him. He muttered her name and smiled before settling back down. Amy didn't know if he was dreaming about her. She pondered that for a while before she realized that she was truly stuck. Sheldon was stronger than he looked and he had a firm grip on Amy. He didn't make her uncomfortable, but she needed to get up.

"Sheldon," Amy whispered. He didn't budge.

"Sheldon, wake up," Amy tried again.

He finally started moving, "Ugh. I don't want to," he pouted.

"We have to go to work," Amy reminded him.

"Can't we just stay in bed all day?" Sheldon said sleepily. His eyes were still closed, so Amy just tried to get him to let her get up before he fell back asleep on her. She felt a little bad because kissing her must have taken a lot of energy out of him. He wasn't usually that tired in the mornings.

"Come on, Sheldon. Physics is the best. You want to get up and solve the mysteries of the universe," Amy coaxed.

"No. Sleep is the best. Amy is the best. I'm going back to sleep now," Sheldon said, but he let go of Amy and rolled on his back. Amy was free, but she suddenly didn't want to be anymore. Still, she pulled herself out of bed and got ready for her day at work.

The hickey was less of a hickey and more of a slight mark. Penny put some foundation on it and it became invisible. Amy was grateful for her friend's help because she would have been worried all day that someone would notice even the light mark. When they were done, Amy went in to check on Sheldon. He was still sleeping and for the minute or so that he was awake, he tried to convince Amy to lie back down.

_That's it, I'm sleeping at home tonight. I'm wearing this man out_, Amy thought as she left his room again.

"Leonard, Sheldon won't get up for work. He's a grown man, but I'm worried he will get mad at me for letting him sleep in," Amy mentioned when she got to the living room.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not sure that I would agree with you about him being a grown man, but everyone at the University loves it when he takes a day off."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. If he gives you a hard time, just blame me. Now I get to listen to music in the car on the way to work," Leonard told her with a smile.

"Thanks, Leonard," Amy said as she let herself out.


	20. Chapter 20

It wasn't until lunchtime that Amy heard from Sheldon. She got a text message from him the said, "You wear me out, woman. Are you coming back over tonight?"

Amy was tempted to say yes, but she didn't want to cost Sheldon any more sleep. "I should probably go home. I don't live at your apartment, remember? It's been nearly a week since I've been home."

"That's true. I'll miss you. In fact, I miss you already. If I'm going to spend a whole day in bed, you should be here with me," Sheldon wrote back.

"It isn't fair for you to flirt with me like this," Amy texted him.

"I don't flirt." Amy could hear the serious tone in the text. He really didn't understand the effect he had on her. She put down her phone before she could get either annoyed or turned on by Sheldon. With him they were usually two sides of the same coin.

Amy did go home after work. It was weird to be in her apartment again after so many days away. It had that slightly unlived in feel that it did whenever she came home from a vacation or a conference. She opened some windows to get some fresh air in her apartment and decided to see what she could make for dinner. She had to throw away some of the stuff in her fridge, but she was able to find the ingredients for spaghetti and salad. There were even some hot dogs in the freezer and it made her think of Sheldon. She decided to pass on the hot dogs in the spaghetti though.

The night was too quiet, so Amy turned on the TV to Star Trek or Star Wars or one of Sheldon's shows. Amy had to admit that she missed him. She pulled out her computer and called Sheldon on Skype.

"Hello, Amy," Sheldon said when he answered. He had obviously gotten out of bed and dressed. She could also see a very full white board in the background, so it looked like he was getting some work done after all.

"How was working from home?" Amy asked. She didn't really have a good reason to call beyond missing her boyfriend. It felt ridiculous because it hadn't even been twelve hours since she had been in his arms.

"I made some excellent strides today. I'm actually thinking about trying to work from home a couple of days a month. Everyone at the University seems to be very much in favor of this plan. Are you happy to be home again?"

"I guess so. It's a bit more quiet here than it is there. Maybe I should find a roommate of my own. I've gotten used to having others around while I'm sleeping."

Sheldon looked very uncomfortable at this suggestion. Amy hadn't meant anything by it, so she wondered why Sheldon would be so objectionable to her finding a roommate. "You look like you don't like that idea very much. What's wrong?"

"It's just a very big ordeal to find a roommate. I went through a number of candidates before I found Leonard, and he still needed to be trained."

"I'm not going to get a roommate. It's just kind of lonely, but I'll see you again on Friday, right?"

"You aren't coming back until Friday?" Sheldon pouted.

"I wasn't planning on it. I've spent most of the last week at your place, so if I come back, I won't be able to stay the weekend."

"I don't know why you can't come by for a little while even if you don't stay," Sheldon said. He was acting like a child, and Amy wasn't having any of it.

"Sheldon, you know I love you, but I have a life beyond you. I have work and errands and friends. Add to that travel time for trips back and forth between your home and mine, and things start to get hectic."

"But I've done so much work to make you happy, and now you won't even come see me."

"I know that you've gone beyond your comfort zone to be more affectionate with me, but I was never under the impression that it made you so unhappy. If you are having such a hard time, then maybe this break will help you feel better," Amy said before she slammed the computer shut, effectively ending their call.

Amy was so mad that she got up and started pacing her apartment. She thought that she and Sheldon had each been making a number of compromises for each other. He was getting more comfortable touching her and kissing her, but she was trying to take more of an interest in the things he liked. It wasn't like he went to book signings or neurobiology conferences with her very often, but she played paintball and built Lego trains with him. She had fun with them, but she also assumed that Sheldon had had fun when he was kissing her or holding her as they slept.

Amy pulled out her phone and called Penny. She needed the help of an expert. Penny was at work, but she agreed to come by before going home. Amy tried to do her dishes and generally focus on other things than Sheldon while she waited. It wasn't working very well, so she was relieved when she heard a knock at her door. That was until she realized the formation of those knocks and that her name followed each set.

Amy opened the door, and Sheldon was standing in her hallway just as she suspected. He pulled her into a hug, but she pushed him away. Amy almost regretted it when she saw the hurt on his face. No matter how mad Amy was, she never wanted to hurt Sheldon.

"What are you doing here?" Amy asked.

"You were mad, and then you wouldn't answer my calls or texts or Skype."

"Yeah. Because I was mad."

"Leonard says there is more than one meaning for "a break" in the context of a relationship. Are you breaking up with me?"

It took Amy a few seconds to even recall what Sheldon was talking about. Then she started laughing. He looked annoyed, so she calmed herself down.

"I'm not that mad. I meant that you wouldn't see me again until Friday. I'm sorry I scared you."

Sheldon really did look scared and panicked. He was a little more pale than usual and he looked a little sweaty.

"Come on in. I'll get you something to drink. Yoohoo?" Amy offered.

Sheldon came in and sat on the couch and took off his jacket. He felt less like throwing up than he had the entire bus ride over. This was everything that he feared when he realized that he loved Amy, but there was no turning back now. Sheldon didn't adapt to change well. He was in for life.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hey, guys. This is the second to last chapter of this story. Thank you all for your awesomeness and support. Love you all, and long live the Shamy.**

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Amy and Sheldon were sitting in an awkward silence when Penny arrived. She let herself into Amy's and brought a bottle of wine. She stopped short when she saw Sheldon sitting there nursing a glass of Yoohoo. Penny didn't know exactly what happened, but Amy mentioned some fight between the two of them.

"Hey, Ames. Is everything okay?" Penny asked. She didn't know if she should stay or go.

Sheldon stood up and announced that he was leaving anyway. He didn't want to talk about his relationship in front of Penny.

Amy walked Sheldon to the door. She put her hand on his arm and said, "I will see you on Friday. Maybe Skype tomorrow?"

Sheldon just nodded and walked away. Amy was still worried about him, but she didn't follow because space seemed like a good thing for the time being. She loved him with all her heart, but she worried that they had been spending too much time together. She just wished she could get a read on him.

Penny poured Amy a glass of wine before she got all of the details on what happened. After hearing the story, Penny agreed that they should spend a day or two apart, but she also thought that Amy shouldn't be too hard on Sheldon. He was still trying to understand what he was doing.

Amy figured that was true enough. He had told her that before he met her, he didn't think he would want to be intimate with anyone. Amy didn't have a lot of experience either, but she had spent time thinking about being in a relationship with someone one day. Sheldon wasn't even her first kiss. If it weren't for Rajesh and Howard tricking him into going to that coffee shop and meeting her, he would probably still be alone, and it wouldn't bother him.

"I hate fighting with Sheldon," Amy finally said.

"Of course you do. You love him, but sometimes you need for things to get a little bad so that they can get a lot better. You guys will be fine again in a day or two. He'll realize that he misses his Amy," Penny assured her.

"Thanks for coming over."

"No problem, sweetie. What are besties for?"

They finished the bottle of wine and Penny went home. Amy went to bed. She lie awake for nearly an hour before she finally fell asleep. Her bed was bigger than Sheldon's and it seemed even more so without him there beside her.

The next day at work, Amy was less than focused. She was still trying to make a good impression at her dementia study, but her thoughts kept going back to Sheldon. She was starting to worry that she had been too harsh with him. She didn't like being treated like a dog who was expected to come at his beck and call, but she also missed him. Being in a relationship was a lot harder than she thought it would be, but she loved Sheldon enough that it was worth it. She just needed to find a way to make it work.

Amy was exhausted when she got home. She had stopped by the grocery store because there was nothing to cook in her kitchen. By the time she put everything away she didn't feel like cooking anymore. Amy pulled her phone out of her pocket to order a pizza when she saw that she had missed three calls from Sheldon. She'd completely forgotten that she was supposed to call him after work. He was probably frantic and about to head over, so she texted him that she forgot and was going to get on the computer now.

Amy ordered her pizza and then pulled out her computer to call Sheldon. He answered immediately.

"You said you were going to call me five minutes ago," he said as soon as he answered.

"This is what I'm talking about. My life can't perfectly conform to your schedule. I ordered dinner. Or would you rather I didn't eat all night?" Amy asked. She could feel the acid in her voice and tried to rein herself in some.

"Of course not. I apologize," he said meekly.

"Thank you," Amy said softly.

They sat quietly for a few seconds before Sheldon asked, "Are you still mad at me?"

"No. Not anymore. I just wanted you to recognize the fact that I've been trying in this relationship too. You aren't the only one who makes sacrifices."

"I understand. I talked to Leonard and he explained that you were taking an interest in my activities. I had thought you wanted to play with trains, learn to play Mystic Warlords of Ka'a, and play paintball because you thought they were fun. Not because you wanted to please me."

"They were fun, Sheldon. Just like I thought you had fun kissing me. You even gave me a hickey. Then you said yesterday that you were just doing it for me. I appreciate the effort, but I don't want you doing things you don't want to do. It takes some of the joy out of you making out with me if I know you are cringing in your head the whole time."

"I'm not. Believe me. Sometimes it's hard and then I remember that it's you and it gets easier."

That shut Amy up. It was proof of how much he cared about her that not only was he willing put his discomfort aside for her, but she actually made that discomfort dissipate.

"So, you are still okay with the physical side of our relationship?" Amy asked.

"Yes," Sheldon said.

"Good. I still won't see you until Friday because I've got a lot of work to do tomorrow. I've got three papers I've got to write. I'm going to have to work on them all night tonight and then all night tomorrow just to be able to come over on Friday."

"I understand. I find myself close to a breakthrough of my own. I'll miss you, but I'll also be able to get through some of my own work."

"Have a good night. I love you, Sheldon," Amy told him. She was glad that they had settled the confusion.

"I love you too, Amy," Sheldon said before his window went black.

Amy had a quiet dinner alone and set about typing up her reports based on her experiments. It was a quiet and lonely kind of night. She'd had a thousand of them before she met Sheldon, but it was harder now that she knew what she was missing.


	22. Chapter 22

** A/N: Here is the last chapter of this story. I've been amazed by the support you guys have given me. It means a lot. Lots of love to everyone who ever read, reviewed, favorited or followed. I'm sure I'll be writing something new soon, so I hope you'll continue to enjoy my stories. As far as a sequel to this story... well, I haven't ruled it out. Long live the Shamy. **

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Amy was feeling good about how much work she had gotten done. She and Sheldon had mostly worked things out, so it was looking like a good day. The drive to work was pleasant and relatively light on traffic.

Amy was smiling when she walked into the lab. A few of colleagues noticed her good mood and went out of their way to talk to her. It wasn't like Amy was a pariah at work, but she mostly kept to herself. Still, it was another long day in the lab. By the end of the day, she had another big stack of scans and test results to look through and write a report on. Amy missed seeing Sheldon, but at least he understood how important her work was.

Amy grabbed some take out on her way home. It was one way that Sheldon was a bad influence on her because she used to cook a lot more before she started spending so much time over at 2311 Los Robles. At least her elevator worked. It would have been hard to carry up a bag of food and all of her files to her apartment.

Amy was surprised when her was unlocked. She was pretty sure that she had locked up when she left that morning, but she thought that maybe she just hadn't been paying enough attention before leaving. Then she opened her door and set things down on the table right by her door. That was when she noticed it: her entire apartment had been ransacked. The things that weren't missing were broken or thrown about on the floor.

Amy just backed back out of her apartment. She had no idea if whoever had done all of that damage was still in there. It didn't seem likely, but she had no interest in running into a crazed burglar in her apartment. Instead, Amy ran back to the elevator. Once she was safely inside she called the police. Then there was someone else who she needed to call.

Sheldon was trying to focus on his white board but he couldn't. The noise was driving him crazy. "Leonard, do you really need to do all of that click click clicking?"

"I'm typing, Sheldon. I can't really do it any more quietly. Why don't you go into your room if it's bothering you so much?"

"You know the lighting isn't right in my room. Just be quiet. I'm so close to a breakthrough that will get me my Nobel Prize. There is actually nothing more important to me than this right now, so I will tape you to your chair if you can't manage to be quiet."

Leonard gave up and decided to go back to his room for a little while. He closed the door and decided to ignore his roommate for the night.

Sheldon was satisfied for about five more minutes. Then his phone started ringing. He was tempted to not answer it, but one does not just ignore their phone. He picked it up without looking at the caller ID.

"Whoever this is, you should know that you are costing me my Nobel Prize," Sheldon said. Then he thought he heard crying on the other end of the line.

"Sheldon? Someone broke into my apartment. I called the police, and they said they are on their way. I'm scared. Can you come here?" Amy asked from the other end of the line. It took Sheldon a moment to recognize her voice through her crying.

"Of course. Let me get Leonard to drive me over there. I'll be there in a few minutes," Sheldon told her. "Are you okay?" Sheldon asked as he walked back to Leonard's room.

"Physically I am fine. I just don't want to be alone right now," Amy told him.

"Do you want me to stay on the phone until I get there?"

"No. I'll be fine."

"I'll see you soon. I love you, and stay safe," Sheldon told her. He was beyond worried about her. They had had someone break into their home, so he knew exactly how scary it was. Plus, he loved her and he was terrified that something bad might happen. It was clarifying some thoughts he had had for a while. Sheldon hung up his cell phone and walked back to Leonard's room.

Knock Knock Knock, "Leonard."

Knock Knock Knock, "Leonard."

Knock Knock Knock, "Leonard."

"There's no one in here. Your annoying roommate is off somewhere else and letting the genius Dr. Sheldon Cooper get his work done," Leonard called through the door.

"Leonard, I need you to drive me to Amy's."

"I told you. Leonard isn't here," Leonard called back.

"It's an emergency," Sheldon told him.

Leonard opened the door. "Is it a real emergency or is it one of those things that only you call an emergency. I'm not driving you to a spur of the moment sale at the train store."

"Amy's apartment was broken into. I need to go be with her."

"Oh my God. Okay. Let me just grab my jacket," Leonard said.

Leonard drove faster than he normally would. He and Sheldon jumped out of the car as soon as he was parked. They ran inside and found Amy still crying in the lobby of her building. They had beaten the police in getting there. Amy didn't even think, she just threw herself into Sheldon's arms. He pulled her close and was so glad that she was safe.

Leonard stepped up to their side as they pulled back apart a little bit. He put his hand on Amy's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Yes. The person or persons who broke in were probably long gone before I even got home. I'm still waiting for the police to go up there, but it looked pretty trashed. I have no idea how I'll feel safe enough to sleep here ever again," Amy told them. Sheldon still had his arms around Amy. He didn't particularly feel like ever letting her go again.

"When you can, you are going to grab some of your things and stay with us for a couple of days," Leonard told her. She nodded and felt a little better to know she would not be alone for the night.

"No," Sheldon said.

"Sheldon. This is your girlfriend and she's had a traumatic experience. You can over look your Relationship Agreement for this," Leonard said sternly. Amy just looked shocked that Sheldon would make her find somewhere else to stay.

"No. You misunderstand. I've come to a decision on the way over here. Amy, if you would be agreeable to it, I want you to move into our apartment for good. I don't want you to ever sleep away from me again. I want you to be safe in my arms and away from here," Sheldon said looking into her eyes. She started crying again, but nodded. He had been so strict about her not moving in, but he had been thinking about it more and more often. Part of the reason that he had been so against her thinking she lived there was because he didn't fully understand what he wanted yet.

"Leonard, I know we didn't discuss this, but it's important to me," Sheldon said.

Leonard had seen it going this way for a while. He thought about it. He liked Amy and he liked Sheldon. Even if he didn't understand their relationship, there was no reason why he couldn't accept this new arrangement. Maybe it would even inspire Penny to let him move in with her if things started getting too weird at home.

"No problem, but I don't think we can move everything over tonight," Leonard said.

The police showed up a couple of minutes later. Sheldon wouldn't let go of Amy's hand while she went up with the police to show them her apartment. There had been other break-ins in the area with no real leads. It didn't seem like the police were going to do much and told her that she should be glad that she was insured.

After they left, Sheldon helped Amy pack a bag to take back to their apartment. Everyone was pretty exhausted, but Sheldon remembered to grab Amy's work stuff before they left. Leonard offered to drive Amy to work the next morning so that they could all drive back together, but Amy declined. She would be fine as long as Sheldon was by her side, and he didn't leave her once.

The next weekend everyone gathered together to help Amy move and clean up the mess that the burglars made. There were a lot of broken pieces on the floor, but Penny and Bernadette scoured through everything to find what was salvageable. Howard, Leonard, and Raj moved boxes while Sheldon directed them. Amy spent most of the time trying to pack what she could. Some of her stuff was obviously going to Sheldon's while the rest of it was going to sit in her mother's garage.

It was hard to see her apartment in such shambles, but her friends were there for her. They were all really supportive. Not just about helping her move, but about her moving in with Sheldon. Howard mentioned that he thought it was weird that they were moving in together before they had sex, but Bernadette hit him hard enough that no one else had to say anything.

It took a few hours, but soon enough everyone was sitting in Amy's new home. She was leaning into Sheldon's chest, half-asleep while he had his arms around her. Everyone still thought it was a little strange to see them so affectionate even after all of the time they had been together. They were getting used to it. Leonard and Penny, in particular, thought it wouldn't be long until the Shamy got married.

Amy and Sheldon were both tired. Amy spent most of her day packing all of her belongings while Sheldon unpacked and organized everything. As soon as everyone else left, including Leonard and Penny, Sheldon helped Amy up and pulled her by the hand to take her to his room. They were just going to sleep like they always did, but this night was still special. It was Amy's first night officially living with Sheldon. It was a long time coming, but it was worth the wait.

**"Love is about all of the changes you make and not just three small words." – Frank Turner "The Way I Tend to Be"**


End file.
